Centauri
by Makimono
Summary: She could read someone's memory; everybody told her that she was unqualified for combat. He could control someone's mind; everybody told him that he was better off as a villain. Once upon a time among hundreds of people who aimed to become the best, they met, they said hi, and they learned that perhaps the world had a greater plan for them than what they had for themselves. (Canon)
1. Chapter One

I've posted the first 5 chapters on AO3 as an xReader. This is the xOC version, so the heroine has a full name (more info on my bio).

Cover Art © idk I found it by accident on Pinterest and I couldn't find the artist :')

Happy reading!

* * *

 **The summary I have on AO3:**

She was born with the rare ability to read someone's memory when she touched their head. Everybody told her that she was unqualified for combat.

He was born with the rare ability to control someone's mind when they responded to his words. Everybody told him that he was better off as a villain.

Once upon a time among hundreds of people who aimed to become the best, they met, they said hi, and they learned that perhaps the world had a greater plan for them than what they had for themselves.

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Two Far-Off Dreams**

In this eventful morning, there were some kids who couldn't hold back their tears after undergoing the ten-minute practical test for Yuuei's entrance exam. Maybe that was the first time they realized that many people worked really hard for their dream, but it could only come true for the chosen ones, for those who were blessed with a ferocious quirk that could easily eliminate all kinds of obstacles. Maybe they felt deep regret for not opting for a less prominent school. Maybe later that night, they would lie in their bed and finally understand that they weren't as terrific as what their family always told them.

After closing the day with a small briefing about how they would get their result in a week, one particular girl walked out alone while keeping her head down, away from the field of vision of those she didn't know. She wasn't born in this populated town, so besides from asking for a direction to some teachers, she didn't really talk to anyone throughout the day. Unlike the faces she had already forgotten back there, she didn't show a single ounce of grievance, but unlike a few others, she didn't look content either. If she smiled, it would most likely be a strained one. It was apparent that she had so many things going on in her mind.

Five minutes hadn't passed when she arrived at a 4-star hotel nearby. Before she even entered the front automatic door of the tall building, she changed her mind by strolling more than twenty meters further. She stopped when she reached a burgundy-dominated two-story café that went by the name "L'Etoile". She peeked through the walls made of glass to find a lot of customers inside, probably more than fifteen. There were some young-looking ones who sat with one or two adults. They might have been those who just came back from Yuuei and the older ones would most likely be their parents.

She didn't ponder longer than needed as she walked in and headed straight to the counter. While she waited for three people to be served before her, she read the list of menu displayed on the black board on the wall. There were many familiar drinks that she'd had in other places, but the overall price was cheaper. Not much cheaper of course, but saving a couple of yen could mean the world for many people. She wondered if the reason was because there were many students living in this area, so the owner of L'Etoile was considerable enough to not take too much profit off them.

Her turn to order came earlier than she anticipated. She was greeted with the bright smile of a young male cashier in a long sleeve white shirt, a tie that had the same dark color as the walls of this place, and black trousers. She had no other choice but to give him the same smile back before she grabbed her white wallet from her brown backpack.

"Good morning. How may I help you today?" the cashier asked the exact same thing he did to the previous customers.

"Good morning," she said. "Can I get one blueberry parfait?"

"The parfait can't be boxed. It must be eaten here. The other snacks and drinks can."

"Hm?" She titled her head sideways, feeling puzzled at his speculative reply. "I'm planning to eat it here."

"Oh! I'm sorry! It's because you're wearing gloves, so I thought you had your bicycle outside and would just—anyway, I'm sorry for assuming too quickly. That's very rude of me," the cashier tried to explain as he inputted her order into the cash register. "It's nine hundred yen."

She opened her wallet and took a one thousand yen note. The cashier accepted the money and gave her the change of a single coin. She put her belonging back into her bag as she watched another guy in his mid-thirties working on her dessert, but it was as simple as opening a refrigerator and taking out a round glass bowl filled with some layers of fresh blueberries, vanilla custard, graham crumbs, and a few other minor ingredients. Some parfaits used yogurt or ice cream instead of custard. Some used granola or toasted coconuts with almond meal instead of graham crumbs. She didn't mind either as long as it was delicious.

"Here we go. Enjoy." The cashier placed the cold bowl on the counter after the plastic wrap was removed from the top, with an addition of a square white plate beneath it and a mini stainless-steel spoon beside. This must be the reason why this thing couldn't be brought home—because everything would be washed and reused again for the next batch.

She thanked him before grabbing the plate with two hands and walking to an empty table for two near the window. She knew she'd look lonely within the sea of loud people, but it wasn't like this was her first time spending a few hours with no one to talk to. She sat down, laid the plate onto the table, took her phone from her backpack, then placed it back on the chair in front of her. How lucky was she to be born in the age of technology? Even when she was alone, she wouldn't look like an awkward idiot by not doing anything and there would definitely be some random articles to entertain her.

But her attention was taken by the LINE notification on the bright screen. She removed her black gloves because it was never pleasant to type with them on, before she unlocked her phone using her fingerprint. She moved to open the green app and sighed upon seeing some messages sent by the same person. She already knew the kind of things she was going to read, but her curiosity led her to tap the chat. She had nothing but a straight face as she read the lengthy sentences written there.

 _Sanae_  
 _How's your day? I'm sure you failed the practical test and nailed the written test because that's all you can hope for_ _10:39 AM_  
 _I've told you so many times to just stay in Osaka and attend a high school here. You might have a better chance getting into their heroic course_ _10:39 AM_  
 _Sure Yuuei is free and whatever, but do you think your apartment and food cost nothing? After you graduate, I'm sure you'll struggle to pay back even 5% of what our parents have given you_ _10:39 AM_  
 _You're such a burden to everyone because you think you can become a hero with the quirk that you have_ _10:40 AM_  
 _Or well, you can always work for the police force, but I'm not even sure if they want to accept you because your power isn't that well-developed and I understand that being hero is so much cooler. You just want to be cool and popular, don't you? How childish_ _10:40 AM_  
 _I don't know what you want to do with your life_ _10:40 AM_  
 _Oh, maybe you can find a rich husband in Yuuei and become a housewife. You can at least do that right?_ _10:40 AM_

She didn't write one word back and simply locked her phone, keeping it beside her plate. She wasn't hurt from the harsh scolding. She just felt that it was very unnecessary and would only do more harm than good, no matter if it was sent to her or other people. Granted, there were some parts of Sanae's logic that seemed to be reasonable, but most were just rude senselessness.

She decided to take the first bite of her parfait, attempting to fit everything she could taste on the small spoon. It took her a couple of seconds to process all the sweetness inside of her mouth. The blueberry was a bit more sour than the one she normally got from the supermarket in her hometown, but it was far from being subpar. The vanilla custard was incredible, it could be her new favorite. The graham crumbs were made from the regular store-bought graham crackers, so it was nothing sort of special. She was satisfied and her day had gotten better.

"It's alright if you can't get into the heroic department. It's not like your future means nothing if you can't become a hero."

The advice from an old man sitting to her right piqued her interest. She glanced at his direction and noticed a girl of her age lowering her head in front of him, looking very gloomy and woeful. She didn't blatantly gawk at the two of them because that'd be creepy. She just wanted to listen more, so she did as she took another spoonful of custard and crumbs.

"Just because you have an offensive quirk to defeat a villain, it doesn't mean that you can be a successful hero like All Might," the old man continued. "We don't even have to use that example. Someone could sing like a nightingale, but it's not guaranteed that they would become the number one singer in the world. You don't have to be so stressed out because I believe everyone is meant to create something great in their life. You might end up working in a bank or in a library and it doesn't mean that you have less worth than friends. I know being a hero is impressive and will give you a great income, but please don't force it. If it fails, you'll get hurt instead. You can't take back all the years you've spent on something futile."

The girl didn't say a thing.

"Or you can try to join the heroic department in another school? It doesn't have to be Yuuei, right? Not all heroes graduated from there," he added, trying to lift the spirit that he'd crushed just seconds ago. "You said that you didn't do that well in the written test, so I'm not sure they will accept you into their general education. Cheer up! We'll make it work! It's not the end of everything!"

She breathed a sigh of grief, but also relief. At least she wasn't insane because clearly, she wasn't the only one being this stubborn and determined.

Yuuei was the best hero academy in Japan, if not on earth. They only accepted forty students in their department of heroes, while there were thousands of hopeful applicants from north to south. They travelled across the globe just to be here today, not minding the fact that there's always a bigger chance of them failing. No donation could be enough to grant them a seat, so those who managed to go through the entrance exam were truly the best of the best.

They also had some other departments. The general education that acted like a regular Japanese high school, the support that provided courses for developing equipment for the heroes, and the management that was full of people who wanted to focus on the business side of the heroic world. Those who couldn't enter the department of heroes could be accepted into the other departments, although not many people would do that since they'd just apply to other schools. Being in any heroic course would be so much better than following a study that has nothing to do with their passion.

In this case, she and the girl beside her weren't one of them.

* * *

"Kaa-san, hey." A tall guy with messy purple hair rested his back on the wall of his small hotel room. His _gakuran_ laid on his queen size bed, leaving him wearing a plain white shirt and pitch-black trousers. He was too lazy to change into something cozy. He had to call someone very important and he didn't want to wait any longer.

"Hitoshi, how's the exam?" a gentle sound from the other side of the phone greeted him back.

"I won't get accepted into the heroic department," Hitoshi answered in one breath as he slipped a hand inside of his pocket.

"Eh? Why did you say that? Was it that difficult?"

"It wasn't difficult, but it was impossible for me," he grimly stated. "The written test was easy, but the practical test was specifically designed for those who had a physical type of quirk, not a mind power like me. I knew it all along."

"What did you have to do?"

Hitoshi sighed as he recalled what happened just under an hour ago. "There were some robots and we had to rack points by immobilizing them. They came in some versions that would give us different value. I couldn't do a thing because using or working with someone else was prohibited. What I did for ten minutes was stand still like a stupid person. The practical test is the most important and I scored zero. Among one hundred people, probably there were only less than five who had a non-violent quirk and I was one of them."

His mother fell silent for some time before she responded, "I'm so sorry to hear that, Hitoshi, but you won't give up that easily, will you? Do you want to search for other schools? There's still enough time to do that."

"No," he quickly rejected her alternative, eyes burning with anger and eagerness. "I've applied for the general education and I'm positive of being accepted there because there's nothing in the written test that I couldn't answer. There's also a rule in Yuuei that if a student does extremely well, they can be transferred to the heroic department at any time. I'll do my best."

"What? But what if you can't make it? I'm not saying that I don't believe in you, but that school is well-known for being full of talented kids. Hitoshi, it doesn't have to be Yuuei—"

"It has to be Yuuei, Kaa-san," Hitoshi interrupted his mother's plea. "I want to go to Yuuei. I want their facilities, their teachers, and everything they can offer me. I'd rather spend three years in their general education than three years in some random school's heroic department. I'm not sure if I'll get accepted somewhere else, anyway. This society simply doesn't want my quirk, but through Yuuei, I'll prove them wrong. I have a plan, so you don't have to worry."

Once again, his mother became soundless. As someone who only had one child, she wanted to provide the best for Hitoshi. But as someone who knew how to raise a son in a healthy way, binding and coercing him into doing something he didn't want would be one of the worst things she could do. She would never let him stray off the right path, but he was a smart kid. His plan wasn't all talk and had a great rationality to it. He knew what he must do to reach his everlasting dream. A mother should be proud and not berate him instead.

"Okay, Hitoshi," she finally spoke, lighting her son's heart. "I understand your point and it's not like trying is bad. There must be a lot of benefits that you can get from a school like Yuuei, but you should still apply to other schools in our town, just in case Yuuei won't accept you. Just in case."

Hitoshi weakly tugged one corner of his mouth. "I will. Thank you."

* * *

(The chatting format is so messy on this site, I'm super sad. You should check the version I have on AO3 if you want to, it's perfect there!)

Thank you for reading! Reviews are greatly appreciated! ❤


	2. Chapter Two

Remember the brown-haired girl who's always with Shinsou? I name her Yuzuru. ;)

Happy reading!

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Overture**

Kazuna couldn't stop staring at her own reflection in the full-length mirror inside of her apartment's bedroom. Her focus wasn't on her face—she wasn't the kind of girl who loved to admire the way her eyes languidly blinked or how her hair looked neat without her having to spend forty-five minutes styling it. It was all about her brand new Yuuei High uniform. This wasn't her first time wearing the set, but this was her first time doing it for a real purpose than just trying it out.

The grey blazer made her look mature and professional, better than anything she'd seen out there. When she was in middle school, she had to wear a simple blue and white sailor uniform that wouldn't differ her from one hundred other schools in the prefecture. Her old skirt was three centimeters below her knees, while this dark teal-colored one was at least ten centimeters above. She even loved the red tie that wrapped her entire look into something vibrant and near to perfection.

After making sure that the air conditioner, most of the lamps, and other basic utilities were turned off, she left her apartment and closed the door to make it automatically lock itself. She held one of her backpack's strap while her other hand began to play with her phone. The trip from here to Yuuei would take fifteen minutes by foot and she wouldn't spend it solely on sightseeing the street. There was nothing wrong about enjoying the beautiful morning scenery of this town, but she knew that she'd get bored soon. The second reason was that time would pass faster if she had something to read.

Inside the elevator that would carry her from the eighth floor to the bottom floor of the huge building, she met a woman with a crying baby boy in her arms. None of them spoke a word to each other because the woman was trying her best to subdue the noise of the child by cooing and shushing him, as if he could comprehend Japanese at such a young age. Kazuna wasn't too bothered by their presence, but she did feel thankful when they walked out and chose a different route—she went to the left and the woman went to the right.

It wasn't surprising when she saw a lot of Yuuei students heading toward the school by themselves or with their family members. Most of the passing cars must be theirs too. She vaguely remembered back then in elementary school when her parents were present during the entrance ceremony that's akin to a lame outdoor party. They weren't there when she entered middle school, but it was never mandatory. She didn't mind it that much because she wasn't the only new student without anyone sending them off, especially during the age when both parents often had a full-time job.

Today, she'd be alright too.

* * *

There was a crowd surrounding the three classroom placement boards situated in the middle yard of Yuuei High. From far, Kazuna could already tell that the left one belonged to the first year because no one really talked to someone nor did they seem to know the person beside them. It looked lifeless when compared to the other two boards where many people hugged each other or loudly chanted their happiness of being in the same classroom again.

With one deep breath, Kazuna slipped herself among the mob. It was hard to not be tall enough or to not have a tall friend to lend their hand during a crunch time like this, but she didn't have time to think about these what ifs. She was more worried about getting jabbed by someone right in the eye. After sheltering her face with both hands and passing through three rows of people, she managed to stand in front of some printed papers that should've been made way bigger because there were hundreds who needed to read them at the same time.

She skimmed through the lists of names there. She knew that 1-A and 1-B would be for the heroic departments, so she went right away to 1-C. It was quick for her to find her full name written there, so she immediately left, which somehow got even harder than when she tried to get in. She understood if these people were too excited, so she couldn't do anything besides accepting. If the papers could haven't been made bigger, at least they could've been separated onto several boards. No matter how she viewed it, Yuuei clearly had more than enough lot to put one thousand boards if they would.

She didn't know where the classrooms were located, so she chose to follow her fellow freshmen. It wasn't far from where she previously was as it only took her less than two minutes to be there. She opened the huge door and was welcomed by no less than fifteen people inside, making her wonder if she left the apartment a tad too late. There was a guy who read a paper on the teacher's table, so she assumed that it had the map of the class' desks arrangement. She came closer to him and she was right. She had to sit on the second row from the window and front.

Her mind wandered as she walked to her designated desk. This wasn't a great location. The middle part of the class was and would never be her preferable spot. She would love to switch with the purple-haired guy who sat to her left because it was near the window. It wasn't because she wanted to doze off without being caught by the teachers—which surely would be amazing. She just liked to lay her body against the wall. It would be nothing like her fluffy bed, but it was better than not having anything at all.

She checked her classmates one by one as she hung her bag on the hook beside her table. Two more people came and in total, there were eighteen students. She could already tell that three-quarter of them were boys. There were only five girls including herself and she somehow doubted if the last two would be of her gender. There was nothing bad about having more boys than girls, but she found this to be rare. For her last eleven years being in a formal school, it was always the other way around.

"Hey, what's your name?"

Kazuna raised her eyebrows, looking at the girl with a straight middle-parted hair who sat in front of her. "...hi, I'm Ito Kazuna."

"I'm Yanagi Yuzuru. Nice to meet you." Yuzuru smiled, parading a pair of tiny _yaiba_ that made her look very adorable. "So, what's your first impression of this class? I know we haven't started anything, but you must have something to say. There are a lot of boys, don't you think?"

Kazuna felt a bit weirded out by the sudden questions, but she tried to act as normal as possible. "I guess it's okay."

"Eh? 'Okay'? What do you mean with 'okay'?" Yuzuru's voice got higher.

"I'm okay with a lot of boys in this class. There's nothing wrong with that," Kazuna repeated her answer, but with more explanation. Honestly, Yuzuru reminded her of too many girls who couldn't stop talking about boys and the silly plans to flirt with them or to ask them out on a date during weekend. She was never part of those squads. They made her feel very uncomfortable by acting lecherous.

"I see!" Yuzuru bobbed her head up and down several times. "But don't you think there's someone handsome here? We have a few tall boys… Are they maybe around one hundred eighty? They're definitely way taller than the two of us. How about that blond guy who sits in the back? His hairstyle looks so cool. Do you call that a messy layering? I have no idea."

"Right…" Kazuna didn't even look behind as her eyes drifted down to the empty table below where she rested both of her hands. "I'm sorry, but I'm not interested in boys or dating in general, if that's what you want to know…?"

Yuzuru cackled then bended her body forward to bring her face closer to the other girl's. "I'm so glad that you're a normal person. Sorry, I was just testing you when I asked those questions. I wanted to know these things before I could befriend you."

"Testing me?" Kazuna lifted her head, giving Yuzuru a confused look.

"Yes. I came here early with my twin brother. Look at the guy who sleep while hugging his red handbag. His name is Yuuta. Yanagi Yuuta." Yuzuru pointed at the back of the class, forcing Kazuna to see the person she meant for only a second as she continued, "Then when three other girls came, they couldn't stop bothering him. I admit that he was very good-looking, but I don't think those girls had to act that way in front of someone they just met. So annoying. I really want a friend who can talk about movies, food, politics, history, or anything. Not boys and boys and boys. Why is it so hard?"

"Ah, I see… That does happen all the time, I agree with you." Kazuna was grateful that Yuzuru wasn't like what she thought previously. She even had to hold back a grin because the girl who would sit in front of her for the next few weeks seemingly wasn't too much of a nutcase.

"Mhm, mhm. Are your parents here?" Yuzuru jumped into another topic as she appeared to be warmer than before.

"No, they're in Osaka. What about you?"

"No, sadly. I'm from this town, but my parents need to open their store. It's not like entrance ceremony is as important as the graduation one." Yuzuru smiled again, hugging the top part of her chair to balance herself. "How's Osaka? I've never been there, but I heard that the nightlife is incredible. Do you live here alone?"

Kazuna nodded. "I got an apartment nearby."

"Awesome! I wish I could get my own apartment and become independent too, but I know my parents will never allow me to leave the house unless if I'm married to someone!"

Before Kazuna had the chance to respond, the in-ceiling speaker of the classroom was on, broadcasting a cheerful sound of a female teacher. She told the students to gather in the west ground behind the third year's building to start the entrance ceremony in ten minutes.

"Hey, Yuuta!" Yuzuru shouted as she stood up and beckoned to her brother. Kazuna noticed how the three other girls in the class gave her a nasty glare. Were they upset because Yuzuru could be that close to Yuuta? But they're siblings, so there was no valid reason for them to feel that way.

"Calm down…" Yuuta came within seconds and muttered a weak plea to Yuzuru. He was indeed good-looking and tall. His eyes might be the most attractive part of his overall appearance. They're very intense, yet beautiful. He had long eyelashes too. Kazuna found herself scrunitizing him until he looked back at her, where she abruptly turned her head away.

"This is Yanagi Yuuta. Just call him Yuuta and me Yuzuru, okay? It's confusing when you call both of us Yanagi," Yuzuru introduced Yuuta to Kazuna with a bright tone of her voice. "Yuuta, this is Ito Kazuna."

"Nice to meet you," Kazuna said to Yuuta and she received a stifled "same here". All that she knew was that Yuuta felt too lazy to react much to this small chit-chat. Perhaps he was also wary of girls he just met who could ruin his tranquil high school life. Even when the three of them walked together to the west ground, Yuzuru stood between them. She was the only talkative one, so besides making the situation less awkward, she didn't bore anyone because she always had interesting things to talk about.

* * *

The entrance ceremony lasted for an hour with all the students standing in the front of the yard just near a small stage built as a podium, while the parents waited in the back. No chairs were provided to any of them—even to the teachers—thus no one really had a chance to protest.

The principle gave an arduous speech about the students' life. He suggested the new students to enjoy the next three years to the fullest since getting accepted into Yuuei was an invaluable achievement and opportunity, while the upperclassmen should continue working hard because the real heroic world awaited them sooner than they might think. Then some teachers introduced themselves and made a few jokes that were quite hilarious, since a lot of people caught them and laughed along.

When the crowd was dismissed, Hitoshi went back to his classroom alone. Everyone around him seemed to have found a friend or two, but he hadn't. It was not like he didn't want a friend—who in the world would refuse to have someone they could depend on—but he just didn't feel that approaching strangers and stretch out a hand for a friendly shake was his forte. Too bad for him, no one was there to take the first initiation by coming to his desk. But he was good. He didn't expect chocolates and flowers from anyone, so there was nothing missing from his day.

A male homeroom teacher came after the students sat in their desk. He was lanky, in his mid-forty, and has a long dark brown hair that looked really nice with his rusticness. He wrote his name on the board as "Komatsu Jun" and that he'd teach English exclusively for the first year's general and business department. He added that he wasn't as noteable as the pro heroes who taught the superior department. According to himself, he was only a normal guy who loved languages more than anything.

"Let's start by introducing yourself one by one! Starting from the person near the door, please stand up, say your full name, your hometown, the name of your previous middle school, and your reason for choosing Yuuei! No need to tell us your LINE ID or relationship status because no one cares!" Jun enthusiastically ordered his new students and he kind of made a great first impression since almost everyone laughed at his last sentence.

Hitoshi propped his chin in his left palm as he watched his classmates did what Jun told them to. Sure he had to memorize their name, but if he had to be honest, he cared the most about their quirk and the reason they're here. The first guy who sat next to the only door in this room was quirkless and he was here only because he wanted to study in a good place. He was planning to study astronomy in university since he was little. The guy beside him could cast a very small amount of fire. He was unable to burn an entire wardrobe at one time, but he could light some parts, then letting them spread by themselves. He was also here because Yuuei was a good school. He didn't intend to become a pro hero.

"I'm Yanagi Yuzuru and I can run very fast!" It was the time for the only girl who sat on the first row. "I was born in this town and I went to Kudan High with my twin brother who's also in this class. We have the same quirk that we inherited from our mother. I'm not planning to become a pro hero, I'm here because I can't choose a better high school than Yuuei. Anyway, please call me Yuzuru so no one will confuse me with my brother. Thank you!"

Some people giggled after hearing Yuzuru's energetic speech. She was like a playful cat who couldn't stop running and climbing stuff, while the previous two were like the old grumpy ones who didn't want to jump even an inch because they knew they'd die soon.

There was another quirkless guy in front of Hitoshi who said that both of his brothers attended Yuuei's department of management some years ago. He was forced by his parents to apply here too and he didn't see the reason to refuse their wish, but he chose the general education because he still didn't know what he wanted to do with his life. He continued rambling about how Yuuei was a perfect place for those who wanted to find their dream, no matter how simple it was. He talked as if he'd been hired to do a throughout promotion by the principle. In the end Jun had to stop him because they'd be running out of time.

"I'm Shinsou Hitoshi." Hitoshi stood up when it was his turn, eyes directed at Jun and no one else as he stroked the side of his neck. "I'm from Nobu Middle in Saitama. I was born there too. I'm in this class because I failed the heroic practical exam. My quirk is… I can brainwash people."

"Huh? Brainwashing?"

"What did he say? Brainwashing?"

"Seriously? Like how?"

Hitoshi didn't question a thing when almost everyone in this place had at least one cynical commentary about his quirk. They were very vocal until Jun had to shush them. Hitoshi still didn't mind that much. He didn't even want to find out about the kids who gave him a derisive look as he casually sat down and went back to his previous stance. This was nothing new. It'd be stranger if they were dead quiet.

"I'm Ito Kazuna." The next person stood up as she clasped her hands in front of her pelvic. "I went to Mizumoto Chuo Middle in Hiroshima, but I was born in Osaka. I'm here because I failed the heroic exam too."

The word "too" made Hitoshi give the girl beside him more attention and not merely a fleeting glance like what he did to the last four people. He was fascinated by the fact that finally, there was someone who experienced and envisioned the same thing as he did.

"I hope Yuuei would give me a second chance, that's why I don't mind being in this department," she proceeded. "And my quirk is memory reading. Nice to meet you all."

"Memory reading? Is that why you wear gloves?" one guy from her southeast asked.

"Correct. It's so I won't accidentally read anyone's memory," she said with a nonchalant expression and just like what they did to Hitoshi, people instantly gushed about her power.

Memory reading wasn't something unheard of, but contrary to the popular theme fiction authors loved to use, it was actually quite rare in this new age. Maybe as rare as brainwashing. Maybe brainwashing was only slightly rarer. Whatever the exact percentage could be, both powers were useless against the robots they had to face for the hero department's practical test. Though even worse than his, her quirk couldn't be used to physically attack a villain.

As the class went along to the next student in line, Hitoshi decided to take another look at Kazuna and much to his surprise, she already had her eyes on him. When she realized that their gaze just met, she hurriedly snapped her head sideways to the guy speaking now. Hitoshi had nothing to say about what just happened, but deep down, he knew that Kazuna felt that she could relate to what he was feeling at the moment. He knew because he felt the same way toward her.

Disappointment, jealousy, anger, ambition, hopefulness—these overwhelming emotions must be burning in her chest.

* * *

Among twenty students in the class, six took the heroic entrance exam and failed, but only two had a non-offensive kind of quirk. Of course people were more interested to learn about them, more than anything else. As soon as the lunch break's bell rang, two boys and one girl clustered around Y/N desk like they attempted to get a free bento from her. Yuzuru appeared to be curious of what's going to happen as she rotated her body just to join the group talk.

"You can read people's memory? Like, real people's memory since they were born?" a guy asked and Kazuna nodded her head a couple of times. She already said that she could, so she didn't understand why he'd come just to ask that again. For sure her quirk wouldn't change in five hours.

"Is there a difference between mind reading and memory reading?" another guy threw his own question.

"The difference…?" Kazuna repeated his words. "I guess mind reading is knowing what someone is thinking, while memory reading is knowing the memory of that person?"

"But how's the process? You touch someone's head and?"

"Well, it depends on many conditions," Kazuna kindly answered. "If you're still in kindergarten, it can take me only seconds to read everything. If you're an adult, it will take me longer. You can also be the same age as someone, but if you've had more experience like travelling the world, then it will take me longer too. Using one or two hands also affects the speed."

"What do you mean by everything? What if the person has forgotten many things?"

"I can only read what they remember, that's why it's called memory reading and not memory unfolding…?" Kazuna replied.

"What about you, Shinsou?" the first guy who started the whole conversation now moved his aggression to Hitoshi who didn't do a thing beside holding his phone.

"Hm?" Hitoshi ever so coolly glance up at him.

"How does your brainwashing work?" he asked and Hitoshi noticed that no less than three more people came to join the two versus seven discussion.

"I can force people to do what I want them to do when they answer to my words," Hitoshi succinctly explained, still looking unamused about the whole thing. Once again, his classmates began to blabber on what they called a "creepy quirk". They spoke so excessively without considering his feeling, but he didn't rise up against any of them.

"So you can control us that easily?!" one girl put her balled palm in front of her mouth, exaggerating her girlish reaction. "Shinsou, don't do that to me or to anyone, okay? Or have you done something bad before?"

"Come on! If I had his power, I would've done many things, especially to the girls that I liked." The guy stood next to her nudged her waist. "Note how I said 'girls' instead of 'girl'? It's better if you don't imagine anything."

"Yuck, stop it! Disgusting!"

"No, I haven't done anything bad to anyone," Hitoshi curtly replied.

"Sure, Shinsou! Sure! Of course a criminal won't willingly turn themselves in!"

"But Ito's quirk is kind of cool too," the girl from before spoke again, now while cutely twirling the tip of her hair with one finger. "I don't think you can become a pro hero, though. You'll be good for the police force. You can even start working now, so why don't you do it? Don't tell me you have never thought of the possibility? Being a detective is like something coming out of a TV show."

Hitoshi suddenly stood up and glared down at her, since she was very tiny compared to his build. "It's up to her whether she wants to become a pro hero or not. You have no rights to change anyone's dream."

There was a total silence and it was obvious that no one was brave enough to counter Hitoshi's disapproval. Shortly after, Hitoshi withdrew from the scene with both hands inside of his pockets and he didn't even look back once as he disappeared from everyone's vision. The rest whispered to each other before scattering around, but most opted to leave the class, perhaps to the cafeteria, toilet, or somewhere else. It was funny yet ironic to witness how they were trying to demean Hitoshi's ability and in a split second, he managed to turn it back by shutting them down.

"Well, I thought something dramatic would happen, but it didn't. Anyway, Shinsou wasn't wrong to say that. Please ignore those kinds of people," Yuzuru commented. "And I thought you're wearing gloves because you had mysophobia."

Kazuna frowned upon hearing the foreign term. "What's mysophobia…?"

"It's a fear toward germs. A teacher in my middle school has that."

"Oh, no." Kazuna stared at her palms. "It's because of my quirk."

"Do you bring your own lunch? If not, shall we go to the cafeteria together? I'll bring Yuuta too," Yuzuru changed the subject before stretching her arms up and yawning.

"No, let's go," Kazuna gladly accepted the invitation.

"Okay, but is it nice eating while wearing gloves? Aren't they hot and damp?" Yuzuru asked. "You should take them off."

Kazuna's eyes dilated with disbelief. "Can I?"

"Eh? Of course you can! What are you going to do if you don't have them on? Reading my memory right at this very moment? Please, I know you won't!"

"Ah… Right… Thank you, Yuzuru." Kazuna couldn't contain the satisfaction she got from Yuzuru's reply, so she smiled. "I'll take them off whenever we eat together."

Yuzuru chuckled. "You're welcome."

* * *

 _Sanae_  
 _How's your first day, princess? Going to Yuuei, living in a luxury apartment that costs almost 100,000 yen a month, getting 300,000 for your food, then perhaps you're going to ask more for other "extra things". Office workers who work 60 hours a week don't even earn that much~_ _13:19 PM_  
 _How nice~_ _13:19 PM_  
 _When I was your age, I only got 500 yen per day hahaha_ _13:20 PM_  
 _How does it feel to be spoiled since the moment you're born?_ _13:20 PM_

Kazuna sighed as she closed the chat between her and Sanae. The school ended fifteen minutes ago and right now, she was sitting alone in front of a food stall near Yuuei for a portion of okonomiyaki. She ate lunch at her school's cafeteria around three hours ago, but she had to get something for dinner. She didn't feel like leaving once she wore her thin and homely outfit, so she decided to just do everything at once. When it got cold, she could always warm the food by herself.

She looked up at the blue sky that would darken in an hour from now. The day had been okay so far, maybe even better since she didn't dream of meeting someone as nice as Yuzuru in the very first day and they also happened to be seated close to each other. Yuuta the brother seemed to be good too, but they hadn't had any interaction beyond their short introduction. It wouldn't be questionable if for the next three years, she could only talk to him about their homework and some such. He was a quiet person by nature and she could accept that.

Then there was Hitoshi. She thought she'd be the only person in class with a quirk that always caused people to take a second glance at, but there was him with his brainwashing power. The moment she heard his story, she was intrigued and a voice inside of her screamed "where have you been?!". It would be a lie if she said she wasn't grateful that there was someone like him nearby, someone who could understand what she felt whenever the world wasn't being fair or whenever stupid strangers came to ask about dumb things.

"Your food's done."

Kazuna left her bench and took the plastic bag from the young female cook. She'd paid when she put her order, so all she did was thank her before strolling ahead to her apartment. That's when she saw a guy as tall as Yuuta cycling quite fast on the road to her right. It was Hitoshi. She wasn't sure if he spotted her too because there were a lot of Yuuei students around. On top of that, she didn't have a unique hairstyle, exotic body shape, or a beautiful face that could make car drivers stop just to whistle.

"Rude girl, I haven't said thank you to him…" she announced to no one as she continued stepping on the pavement below.

But tomorrow she would. She'd tap his back early in the morning, smile, and perhaps they could be friends too.

* * *

Thank you for reading! Reviews are greatly appreciated! ❤


	3. Chapter Three

Happy reading!

* * *

 **Chapter 3: 3 Years from Now**

A bowl of rice with miso soup from yesterday morning was everything that Kazuna got for breakfast on her second day of school. Right when she woke up, she had a plan to make a pan-roasted salmon until she found out that she had no oil left, new or used. How could she forget about one of the most essential ingredients in cooking? She had no idea. All she knew was that she wouldn't be content if the skin of her fish wasn't extra crispy to the point of almost being burned.

Once she was done eating, she washed her plates and wiped her dining table, then she went back to her bedroom to change her wrinkled pajama into her well-ironed uniform and wear a pair of black gloves she got from one of her wardrobe's drawers. She grabbed her bag from her study desk and headed to the entryway to do the finishing touch, which would be her black socks and red sneakers. She'd been using these worn-out shoes for three years, but she hadn't had time to shop for a better one. Maybe this weekend she could spend one day exploring the city.

The same as always, her eyes were glued to the phone in her hand. She clicked on some random emails about promotions that she never remembered registering and unsubscribing from all them. When she got into the elevator, it stopped on the seventh floor after two seconds. She wished it wouldn't be a loud woman with a crying baby again. Yesterday, they were already there before she went in. They must be living on some floor above her, but who knew what could happen today? It wasn't like there was only one married lady with their infants in this place. She'd seen some when she moved here the first time.

The elevator's door opened as she focused back on her phone, but it didn't last her a second to look back to the front. Her heart stopped when she saw a guy wearing the same uniform as her and she dared to bet that he felt the same too—she could see it from his crystal clear expression. Instead of calming down, her heart thumped faster when he stepped forward and positioned himself on the empty spot to her right. Just a centimeter closer and their covered arms would brush against each other.

It was Hitoshi.

She took a quick glimpse at the person beside her and her eyes didn't tell a single lie. It really was Shinsou Hitoshi from her class.

She didn't expect herself to meet him this early, so all that she could think about was too many questions that wouldn't have an answer before she let out the words that were stuck in her throat.

All this time, he'd been living under her? There were only two elevators in the entire building, so wasn't it bizarre that they never stumbled upon each other by accident? Did he perhaps always take the stairs before today? No, that would be dumb beyond words. But what was he thinking right now? Why didn't he say something? Why couldn't she do the favor first?

Before she could process everything, they had quietly arrived at the first floor. Hitoshi appeared to ignore her existence as he left the elevator without even looking at her. She could only watch him change his route to the parking lot in the east of the building while she went ahead to the main gate. She felt bad and sad at the same time, but she wouldn't let him take all the blame. She remembered how she wanted to thank him, but she miserably bailed when she had the ten-second chance to do it. She would come to him later when they were in the class. She must.

She smiled at the two security guards near the opened gate and made her way out, seeing slightly more people than yesterday. The time in her phone showed that she did in fact leave almost ten minutes later. She felt silly for not realizing this until now—maybe if Hitoshi didn't randomly show up, she wouldn't even get it until the school ended. That must be why she could meet him, because she was the one who unconsciously changed her schedule to match his.

"Ito," a familiar voice called her right after she reached a turnoff that'd bring her to the main street, followed by a jolly sound of a bicycle's bell.

She stopped moving her feet and dragged her head to her right. With all her heart, she had no idea how to react to the scene that seemed to freshly come out of a movie.

Hitoshi was there with both hands tightly gripping both handle bars of his navy bicycle. His long left leg was supporting his entire weight, while the other one was loosely settling on the pedal. The description might seem normal at first, but blooming sakura trees were adorning the city and since spring just began, the beautiful petals were falling all over the place. It was breathtaking. It wouldn't happen to just about everybody in Japan today.

"…yes?" Kazuna replied after almost losing herself in her own dreamy thought.

"Let's go together. It's faster with bicycle," Hitoshi said and she immediately widened her eyes. That was when he realized his own recklessness and foolishness, perhaps also conceitedness. Before this, he never offered a girl a ride to school. He didn't mean anything shoddy, but now that he did it to Kazuna, it might seem too sudden, even if they weren't total strangers to each other.

"What…? You want me to… go with you?" Instead of answering, Kazuna inquired more and made Hitoshi drop his eyes to the ground, chest pounding and uneasiness crawling in. Maybe it really was a mistake. He wouldn't really mind if Kazuna perceived him as nothing less than a creepy man.

Hitoshi sighed as he prepared to leave. "I'm sorry. You don't have to if you don't—"

"Eh…? No, it's okay… I don't mind… Thank you for offering…" Kazuna slammed Hitoshi's doubt, waving her unoccupied hand in front of her chest. "Um, but… is it okay? You know there's a law that doesn't allow two people on a bicycle, right?"

"Yeah, but everyone does it." Hitoshi pointed somewhere random behind him as he slowly brought his eyes up again. "I think this area is a special case because there are a lot of students living here. Back in my place, kids do that too. I'm not sure about yours."

Kazuna's eyes scanned the street around and Hitoshi was right. Once more, she felt like a fool for not being aware of all the small yet obvious things in her new life. First, she forgot to buy an oil. Second, she didn't notice that she left her apartment ten minutes later. Third, she never knew that people did cycle with a friend or partner behind them. Some adults did it too, although not as many as the young kids. They must prefer to take a car or bus to go somewhere further than Yuuei.

"Then… okay…" Kazuna walked closer to Hitoshi before seating herself on the backseat. It was good that her skirt wasn't too tight and that she wore safety shorts. She didn't have to worry about flashing anything she didn't want public to see.

"Watch your skirt," Hitoshi remarked.

"What?" Kazuna attempted to bring her face closer to Hitoshi's mouth she could hear what he said better, but it appeared to be impossible since his shoulders were just too high and wide.

Hitoshi gazed over his shoulder, staring at Kazuna's thigh then back at her face. "Your skirt. The wind. Be careful."

"The wind? Oh…" Kazuna was quite amazed of Hitoshi's concern over the tiniest detail that many guys would overlook. "It's fine… I wear shorts inside, so it's all good…"

"If you say so," Hitoshi muttered before he began cycling forward. If the trip by foot would take fifteen minutes, then it would be five minutes or less with bicycle. Kazuna remembered Hitoshi was sort of racing yesterday when she saw him, but this time he was within the normal speed. She was very sure that the reason was because he didn't want to frighten her. He was very kind. She somehow sensed that ever since he stood up for her.

"Shin… sou?" When she remembered a very crucial thing that'd been weighing her mind, Kazuna called Hitoshi's name for the first time in history.

"Yes?"

"Thank you… for defending me yesterday…" She went from staring blankly at Hitoshi's back to watching people around the town doing their morning routine like opening their store, accompanying their children to school, and some more. "You're very nice, Shinsou… I really appreciated that…"

There was a pregnant pause before Hitoshi responded, "Don't mind it. Do you want me to drop you off somewhere before the school?"

Kazuna furrowed her eyebrows. "Why?"

"Maybe you don't want anyone to see us."

"…why?" she repeated her question.

"People can gossip about us being a couple. You know… little kids. You don't mind that?"

That was true.

Kazuna thought of the nosy kids in their class who most likely would fabricate six or seven things about them. The two of them had only known each other for twenty-four hours, yet they were already riding a bicycle together. What if people also found out that they lived in the same building? She knew it very well how untrue words could spread faster than fire and when she tried to tell the truth, only a few would believe her. After all, many people loved to hear about someone else's mishap more than someone else's success.

"It's okay, Shinsou," Kazuna straightaway made a decision. "I try not to mind them too much. We know that we're not doing anything bad and whatever is going behind our back, I think we shouldn't worry too much about that… We can't hide this fact forever, anyway… Sooner or later, people will find out…"

"True." This time, Hitoshi replied fast before changing the topic, "What did you buy yesterday? Takoyaki?"

Kazuna was surprised, but fortunately, Hitoshi wasn't able to see her funny face. "You saw me?"

"I did."

"You knew it was me from that far?"

"It wasn't that far, but yes, I just knew it was you."

"I see…" Kazuna sounded softer. "It's okonomiyaki."

"Okonimiyaki? Did it taste good?"

"It could use more salt, but maybe it's because I like salty food… Try it yourself. Who knows you'll like it?"

Hitoshi grinned. "I will."

* * *

Yuzuru frowned when she saw Hitoshi entering their classroom side by side with Kazuna, but she almost chocked on her drink when she saw them talking so casually to each other like they'd been friends for years as they walked to their desk. Yesterday, she was with Kazuna all the time until they had to part ways in front of the gate because she and Yuuta had to take a bus, while Kazuna went to her apartment. She knew that Kazuna didn't have any interaction with Hitoshi, not even a simple "hi". So what exactly happened?

"Hang on… Did you two go to the school together?" Yuzuru being Yuzuru, she immediately interrogated Kazuna and Hitoshi as she watched them sit on their chair. Her eyes constantly jumped between the two suspects who managed to keep a stoic face. She should applaud them when this was over.

"Um… yeah…" Kazuna spoke first. "We just found out that we live in the same apartment."

Yuzuru's mouth agape and Kazuna felt that she might have told the wrong person.

She didn't think about this beforehand, but even if Yuzuru was the nicest girl on earth, she couldn't wholeheartedly declare to everyone that she trusted her with all she had. They just met and they'd never shared even the smallest secret before. She could only wish that for the next five seconds, Yuzuru wouldn't dramatically shout "you live together with Shinsou?!" and made their classmates misunderstand the real story. Yuzuru was a loud girl, so this could happen for sure.

"Really? It's like a story coming out of a _shoujo_ manga." Yuzuru acted as cool as a cucumber, breaking all the doubts Kazuna had. "Just to make sure, Shinsou. Don't do anything bad to her. She's very innocent."

"What would I do to her?" Hitoshi grimly responded and Yuzuru cackled.

"I'm just joking, Shinsou. Don't look that tense. I know you're a nice person."

Hitoshi didn't play along with Yuzuru as he opened his bag and took out thick science books that they were going to have as their first class. The way he reacted to Yuzuru's words wasn't too nice in Kazuna's eyes. His lips curled upward and there was a negativity shrouding his face.

And she understood why.

She recalled the memory from yesterday. Hitoshi also had it the same when people came and joked about him using his quirk to do immoral things, such as molesting a girl he liked. For many people, those words were tongue-in-cheek, but he wasn't one of them. No matter how a painless a joke was, it could wring his heart. Kazuna understood that.

"Anyway, did you hear about class 1-A and 1-B?" the insensitive Yuzuru went to a new topic.

"Uh… No. What about them?" Kazuna kept her eyes on Hitoshi for another second before she looked at Yuzuru.

"Apparently yesterday they had a physical test where they could use their quirk. Maybe today is our turn. We also have our uniform since we have a PE class before lunch," Yuzuru continued.

"Really? I don't think our class will get what they get…"

"You think so? I think we will. We're not the support and business departments that already have their own focus. We're somewhere in the middle. We even get some heroic classes, although they're all theories. I'm not sure if support and business also get them."

"But you can run fast, Yuzuru… Isn't that nice? You and Yuuta are going to score the best."

"Hahaha, yeah, and that's about it," Yuzuru accepted Kazuna's prediction. "I have no other talent. I don't exercise at home. I really don't aim to become a pro hero, so why should I work hard in that field?"

"Hahaha, I think so…" Kazuna balled her hands into one. "Now I can't wait for Komatsu-sensei to come and tell us about that."

* * *

Yuzuru was almost right. Almost, because when everyone was preparing their heart to welcome the new PE teacher, Jun was the one who showed up with a broad grin and red tracksuit. He ordered the class to switch to their gym uniform and left them all questioning whether he'd changed from teaching English to teaching PE. They went to the changing rooms that were located in the corner of the floor. No one told them to rush things, but they did it anyway because they were too excited of what's going to happen. Not all, but most.

Jun then brought them to a training ground that was connected to a massive gym, right behind their building. This wasn't the only one in Yuuei as some had seen the exact landscape being made for the second and third year students. There were just too many people here that one single ground wouldn't be enough, especially for those from the heroic departments who always needed a vast land to showcase their flashy ability.

"Does anyone have any idea of what's going to happen?" Jun asked once his students had lined up cleanly.

"We're going to have a physical test, am I right?" Yuzuru who stood between Kazuna and Yuuta said out loud, raising one hand up in the air.

"Correct, Yuzuru," Jun replied, not forgetting that he must call the girl with her first name and not last. "The test is compulsory for all classes, even the business. The homeroom teachers aren't obliged to handle the test, but I want to. Just think of it as your health test. However, you're allowed to use your quirk."

Words such as "ugh" and "yes" were heard all over the place, but Hitoshi and Kazuna weren't too impressed. As the only two who had a non-lethal quirk, what could they do? If they were told to run, they wouldn't be able to win against the Yanagi siblings. Hitoshi couldn't just force someone to carry him without scaring the others. Kazuna had it worse since she couldn't do anything physical with her quirk.

"Sensei, how long will the test take and will there be any class afterward?" Yuzuru asked Jun back and was met with everyone's laughter. It was strange that no one thought about these two important questions before her.

Jun noticed his students' hopeful gaze, but he smirked. "The test will be until lunch break. After that, the class will continue like—"

Jun hadn't finished his sentence when everyone mournfully mumbled. He even heard some mentioned about their doomed fate, which was beyond weird and ungrateful. But Jun didn't scold any of them because he knew he'd reacted the same if he were part of gang. He was a student once and even back in the day, getting one holiday almost felt like getting a decent score for the hardest subject in his final exam.

"Let's do our best." Yuzuru tapped Kazuna's back twice. "I can only run and no more, so we're doomed together. Happy dooming together!"

Kazuna didn't know what to say to Yuzuru's peculiar cheer. She sighed when Jun told them to prepare for the first test, which would be a 50-meter dash. She simply followed the others warming up their body by stretching her arms, bending her knees, touching her toes, and some more. She did everything she could, although she knew that this wouldn't increase her speed nor power. Sometimes she checked on Hitoshi and Yuuta who stood a few meters beside her. She had to admit, both of them looked lazier than anyone in this place.

Barely ten minutes later, Jun called two random names to stand on the running track. He didn't do it in alphabetical order and just picked whoever he felt like calling.

With Yuzuru, Kazuna spent time watching people did their job quite well, with or without their quirk. When Yuuta's called, he could reach the end of the track in less than three seconds, crowning him the fastest person by far. Yuzuru murmured mixed things between complaints and praises, like how Yuuta could have a sturdy physique if he wanted to work out a bit. Kazuna could only smile, but inwardly agreed with that.

"Ito!"

Kazuna took a deep breath when it was her turn. She studied a tall guy who stood beside her. If she wasn't wrong, he had a quirk that had something to do with destroying objects. She knew nothing about the way he could implement his power to the series of tests they were currently facing, but she chose to not worry about beating anyone. This wasn't a competition with a real prize that could mean life and death.

"Ready?" a black detector near the finish line spoke with its robotic voice. "Set…? Go!"

Kazuna sprinted as fast as she could. Seconds later, she passed the detector as it announced her result, which was five point twenty-one seconds. She couldn't contain the satisfaction she felt as she framed her face with delight. Other people who didn't use their quirk scored somewhere around eight to twelve seconds. The guy beside her finished in almost ten seconds, although his legs were very long and could help him a lot.

"You're quick. Nice job," Jun who stood nearby praised Kazuna. The girl looked at her teacher and blissfully smiled. She didn't mean to become bigheaded, but it was really nice to know that she'd done something right and better than the rest of her classmates.

* * *

Questions after questions creeped into everyone's mind as they watched Kazuna succeed in almost all the tests given to them. Her quirk was memory reading, yet she'd had done some decent job in jumping, throwing, and even gripping. Maybe she could walk through fire and shards if she wanted to.

She had a normal figure for a fifteen-year-old Japanese girl. Not too tall, not too short. Not too huge, not too small. Definitely not muscled like Jun or some athletes they saw on TV, but the more she moved her body, the more people believed that she was well-trained. She wasn't an inexperienced person when it came to be drenched in sweat.

"You're ranked eleventh without using any quirk? Congratulations!" Yuzuru nudged Kazuna's side as they saw the class' ranks on the blue holographic board displayed through their teacher's portable projector. They were surrounded by the others who seemed to be okay with the result. The majority of them were here because they had to graduate from a high school, not to come out as a pro hero.

"Thank you…" Kazuna smiled once again as she read everyone's name and result. Yuzuru waa ranked fourteenth, Yuuta was ranked tenth, and Hitoshi was ranked seventeenth. Yuuta was simply blessed with inborn speed, kind of the same as his sister, while Hitoshi couldn't do much for himself. Those who came after him were the quirkless ones, but since he didn't have any discernible advantage, Kazuna assumed he still did a great job.

"I'm curious about the heroic department. I think our first equals to their fifteenth," Yuzuru commented, rubbing her chin as if she really ruminated on this matter.

"I believe so, yeah…" Kazuna muttered an agreement.

"Does anyone here have any experience with martial arts or any form of combat sports?" Jun's question made everyone ignore the board in front of them for a moment.

Among twenty kids, two guys and Kazuna raised their hand, making it only three in total. Yuzuru looked at Kazuna with a tilted eyebrow, somehow not feeling surprised that this girl had had some sort of training from professionals or at least people who knew exactly what they were doing.

The first guy said that he went to a karate school when he was in his fourth and fifth grade of elementary school. He was too busy with his other after school classes, so his parents decided to drop his karate class for math, piano, and whatever they considered to be more important. The second guy said that his older brother was a jiujitsu champion in their prefecture. He got a private lesson from him at home, but he didn't like it as he stopped only after a few months. Both claimed that they were never good enough.

"What about you?" Jun asked Kazuna.

"I've been doing Muay Thai for the past five years," Kazuna answered confidentally. It wasn't long before she heard some whispers regarding what's a Muay Thai. She didn't feel like explaining because there was a thing called the internet. Though it was kind of strange for someone to have never heard about it before, since it was a very popular sport.

"Ah? Is that why you're very athletic?" Jun looked amazed. "Did you take Muay Thai classes back in your hometown?"

"Yes."

Jun nodded his head several times. "I see. That's very nice to hear. Keep doing that."

"Sensei, Ito has done very well during the test, so why don't we ask her to demonstrate her quirk? Doesn't everyone want to know? I personally do," a girl in ponytail suddenly suggested.

"Hahaha, sure. Do you want your memory to be read? I personally don't," Jun elatedly replied and made the girl squirm, realizing her mistake for not thinking twice before asking. No one in the right mind would want someone to know everything they've done so far in life. It'd be very embarrassing that they could do plastic surgery and transfer to another country.

"Sensei, can we go back to the class?" another girl asked a normal question this time.

"Oh, right. There's still around two hours before the lunch break started at twelve. You can rest anywhere you want, but don't be too loud and bother other classes. You can go to the cafeteria too," Jun said and the students instantly walked away from the training ground. They still still felt miserable for not being able to go home now, but when they thought about it more, wasn't it better to have a half day off than none at all?

"Are you hungry? Do you want to grab lunch now?" Yuzuru poked Kazuna's arm, taking her full attention. "I'm actually quite hungry, but I don't mind waiting for another hour if you want to."

"No, it's okay to eat now. There'll be less people than yesterday," Kazuna quickly made up her mind. She knew she never had to wait for more than five minutes to get her food, but she wouldn't refuse if it could happen within sixty seconds.

"Okay, where's Yuuta—" As soon as Yuzuru turned to find her brother, Kazuna grabbed the end of her dark blue gym top. Yuzuru didn't have any choice but to look back at Kazuna, eyebrows a tad going up.

"Can we… bring Shinsou with us?" Kazuna requested as she lowered her head, hiding herself from an inexplicable sheepishness, away from Yuzuru's piercing gaze.

"Eh? Shinsou?" Yuzuru made sure as her eyes went around the field. She spotted the purple-haired guy currently heading toward the main building with people who talked to everyone else but him. She didn't register this one thing during the test because there were just too many funner things to watch, but now she realized that Hitoshi had never had someone to hang out with.

"Yes," Kazuna confirmed that she didn't utter a wrong name. "Shinsou's alone… so let's ask him to eat with us."

"Sure! Why do you even have to ask? Go fetch him. I'll be waiting here. You're not shy to ask him, are you?"

"No… He's not going to bite me…" Kazuna said, smiling when she remembered what happened between her and Hitoshi this morning.

"Then go."

Kazuna nodded before passing by Yuzuru, running slowly to Hitoshi who's twenty meters or so ahead of her. Similar to what she did to Yuzuru, she pulled the back of Hitoshi's shirt, stopping him from going any further. He gazed at her over his shoulder. A few people who were around seemed to wonder what's going on, but as always, Kazuna chose to see them as shadows that'd fade once they left this place in peace.

"Yes?" Only a syllable was said by Hitoshi.

"Let's have lunch together," Kazuna's invitation came out of her mouth so effortlessly and Hitoshi's first reaction was to be speechless.

Besides her full name and hometown, he didn't know a thing about the girl standing in front of him. He thought she was a very reserved and timid person who'd run and hide behind a wall when a stranger came unnoticed. Seeing the way her eyes strongly linked into his, he knew he couldn't be more wrong.

"Lunch?" he repeated one of her words. "Okay."

Kazuna instantly brightened up as she showed the sweetest smile that no stranger had ever given him. As the result, he couldn't stop himself from feeling very warm inside.

He waited.

He thought it'd decrease to null by the time they headed to the cafeteria, but it didn't.

He felt it more every time she looked back at him and kindly beamed with happiness. Before today, he never knew that one simple word from him was enough to make a person look this radiant.

* * *

Yuuei's cafeteria could serve three hundred students at the same time. Since there were more than six hundred students from all grades, sometimes it could become too cramped until people who didn't know each other must share a table. This time, it didn't happen to the students from 1-C as they entered the place when it was empty. There wasn't even one academic staff inside, unless if the chefs were counted as one.

Yuzuru helped herself by ordering _oyakodon_ , while Kazuna, Hitoshi, and Yuuta had the same preference by getting _gyudon_. They sat somewhere in the corner, far from those who already had their own exclusive group. It was incredible to witness how specific people could become this close in less than two days, all thanks to Jun's desks arrangement and perhaps when they accidentally stood near each other during the opening ceremony.

"Ito, why did you decide to learn Muay Thai?" Yuzuru asked when Kazuna was removing her gloves, folding them, and then putting them down on the wide open spot to her left. The table they were occupying was too vacant to the point of them having no problem to let twenty objects lying around. It'd be different if they were here two hours later.

"I want to protect myself since I can't depend on anyone," Kazuna stated the truth fluently, not adding even one false fact.

"Oh?" Yuzuru elevates her tone. "I assume you're an only child?"

Kazuna rocked her head up and down as she took her wooden chopsticks and mixed the beef, rice, broth, and other toppings inside her red ceramic bowl. When she realized that her three friends used a spoon because they didn't order noodle, she dropped her chopsticks on her tray and switched to the same utensil as them. Sometimes she felt like an alien for continually making small yet senseless mistakes like this.

Maybe she needed more sleep. Maybe she needed to eat salmon this morning.

"I have a younger sister. Two years younger than me." Without anyone asking, Yuzuru shared an additional information about her life, but there was nothing much to do about an extrovert like her. "What about you, Shinsou?"

"I'm also an only child," Hitoshi replied as he looked at Kazuna who sat across from him, hinting her a wordless message of "we're the same". Kazuna caught his intention, but she didn't give back any reaction. She was too busy blowing the heat off the food in her spoon.

"So do you work out every day? You said you've practiced Muay Thai for five years, but you don't look that buff. Do you have abs down there?" Ignoring Hitoshi, Yuzuru went back to interrogate Kazuna. She even made the effort to point at Kazuna's stomach, as if her sentences weren't clear enough.

"Abs…? Not really… but I guess… I've been working out at least five days a week since five years ago, so I guess my body fat percentage is quite low. I think I'm only slightly toned, but not like what you imagine. See?" Kazuna pulled a bit part of fabric covering her right arm. "There's nothing going on here. I'm not a bodybuilder. I eat anything that I want."

"You eat anything that you want, but you compensate it with enough exercise. That's why you look good. The last time I exercised excluding my PE class was never," Yuzuru continued as she goes back to enjoying her food. "We're just too different. I can't find the motivation to live that healthily."

Kazuna smiled. "Watching how much you eat should be good enough."

"Ugh, heard that before, but I still have no motiva—"

"Shinsou and Ito, Komatsu-sensei told you to meet him in the teacher's office after school." One of their male classmates suddenly appeared beside their table, shocking everyone including Yuuta who always acted indifferently. His hands were holding a tray of sliced New York strip steak, French fries, and one bottle of cold mineral water. It looked incredibly luxurious and expensive, although everything's made from the same cook behind the long counter.

"Why?" Hitoshi swiftly asked the most important question on behalf of both Kazuna and himself.

"Why? I'm not sure," the guy sharply replied before leaving the scene. Maybe he didn't mean to be that cold, but the way he excused himself without saying more things or at least wearing one lively expression proved the opposite.

"Hmm… Maybe Komatsu-sensei wants to talk about your quirk? He's our homeroom teacher, so he needs to know as much as possible," Yuzuru guessed before sighing. "Don't worry, okay?"

"Yes. You could be right," Kazuna responded as she continued chewing the food she almost forgot because of the brief suspense.

* * *

After the last bell of the day rang, Kazuna didn't immediately leave the classroom and become one big jumble with the kids in the long hallway. Yuzuru and Yuuta rushed out as fast as they could since they had to catch their bus if they didn't want to wait for another thirty minutes, while Kazuna silently leaned against her table. She watched Hitoshi shove his books and other things inside his backpack and when he was done, she sprinted to his way.

"Shinsou," she called the guy who didn't notice her vibrant presence up until this point. "Let's go together."

Hitoshi let a few seconds pass before he hesitantly nodded his head. Just like six hours ago, Kazuna widely smiled and yet again warmed his heart by doing so.

It wasn't nothing like a heart palpation. It didn't skip a beat. He didn't shiver or feel one thousand butterflies in his stomach. His cheeks weren't heating like how people would describe a feeling of attraction toward someone else. He just knew that he was touched by all the kindness she'd done so far.

"Come." Like a rabbit, Kazuna made her way to the door. Thanks to his long legs, Hitoshi didn't have a hard time matching her step and ended up walking next to her. It would take them less than three minutes to arrive at the teachers' office that was located a floor below where they were now.

Their eyes met as they headed toward the stairs, as if they were scrutinizing each other's condition in silence. Kazuna grinned at Hitoshi before looking back at the road ahead, making him the only one doing it for a couple of seconds longer when she didn't notice.

She looked like she just won an award for the best smile in Yuuei because she couldn't stop stretching the sides of her mouth.

That was maybe it.

He'd be lying if one day he said that he didn't treasure her smile. It was prepossessing. It was peaceful, charming, mysterious, and there wouldn't be enough words in the dictionary to describe its beauty.

"You're very friendly," Hitoshi started a conversation between them. He didn't intend to waste time by making small talk that he would forget the next day. He just wanted to declare what he felt, even when he wasn't usually being this open. He simply thought that she deserved to know this good personality of her.

"Friendly…?" She brought her sight to his face. "I don't have many—I mean… I've never had a good friend, so I'm not sure if that's true."

"'Friendliness' has nothing to do with 'having a good friend'," Hitoshi corrected her. Both of their voice was comprehensible even when there was an uproar surrounding their short trip. They could talk about the most dangerous secret in the world, but people around them wouldn't know since they were too busy chatting their own friend.

"…does it perhaps bother you?" Kazuna carefully asked. "I'm sorry—"

"No. You should know that I'm very thankful." Using his right hand, Hitoshi leisurely stroked his nape. "I'm just… not used to people coming to me like this. People who know my quirk always fear me. They think I'll do something bad to them. Even that guy who told us about Komatsu-sensei."

"That guy? You think he left our table that way because of you?"

Hitoshi shrugged, bringing his hand down. "I won't be shocked if it's true."

"People can feel whatever they want, but I'm not scared of you, Shinsou…"

Hitoshi opened his mouth, but he closed it when he realized that he didn't have anything smart to say. His eyes began darting to anywhere but the hushed girl beside him, then they stayed low, watching his white sneakers stepping on the vinyl tiles that were slightly darker.

 _I'm not scared of you._

When was the last time he heard that sentence?

Maybe three weeks ago, maybe last month—he'd lost count because people who heard his quirk for the first time would always say that sentence afterward. _I'm not scared of you._ It sounded nice and sweet, but people lied. An hour after faking their acceptance of his innate ability, they'd give him a cold shoulder. As if he'd commit a crime with no valid reason. As if he'd have the heart to take them for advantage by controlling their life and family.

Some lightly joked about how he'd abuse innocent people. He tried to see them as people who didn't know what they were doing. They didn't mean to laugh at him on purpose. They didn't mean to hurt him on purpose. He tried and tried, but he couldn't. There were funny jokes, meant to entertain people. There were ignorant jokes, meant to mock people, either accidentally or not. He never doubted that people who made fun of him were the second type.

Then some mischievously joked in order to shatter his heart and nothing more. When he walked to the school and met them, they would whistle and ask whether last night he'd forced a cute girl he just met in street to submit to his desire. When he had to join a group project, they begged him to control other people to finish their work for free. During graduation, no one told him that they'd miss him. No one asked him to keep in contact with them. They decreased his trust toward people to a one black hole that no one would be able to fill.

"Shinsou, careful," Kazuna alerted Hitoshi when they reached the first floor. His mind was all over the place until he didn't see a bunch of guys walking nearby. His shoulder hit one of them, but he apologized and no one made an issue out of it.

"Thank you," he said and Kazuna gave him another smile.

He didn't know what to do.

In his eyes, Kazuna was as pure as the driven snow, but in his heart, she could be the most ruthless two-faced angel he'd ever encountered so far. They had some things in common, but it never meant that she'd be any different from the people who'd left his life for good.

* * *

Hitoshi slid open the teachers' room door and let Kazuna enter first before him. She thanked him while feeling happier than when he warned her about her skirt this morning. If he kept doing these small courtesies, she wouldn't know how to stop admiring his gentleness.

They walked together to Jun's desk in the left side of the cold room. There were many teachers around, fixing their own belongings or talking to each other with a cup of sweet beverage in hand. Even though they were adult workers, it didn't mean that they wouldn't be squealing like a teenager when the day ended and they were allowed to rest.

"Ah, you're here." Without being called, Jun sensed his two students and rotated his chair to face them.

"What's wrong, Sensei?" Hitoshi asked, while Kazuna played with her lower lip, trying to figure out whether Yuzuru was right.

"I want to ask about your quirk."

"Oh." Kazuna bent her mouth into a circle. She began to wonder if starting from tomorrow, she should believe everything Yuzuru predicted for the future.

"Can you please tell me about it? Who goes first?"

"I'll go first," Hitoshi volunteered without thinking twice. "There's nothing much to my quirk. I can control people when they react to my word. I can tell them to walk somewhere, buy me something, clean my house, basically anything possible. They won't stop if I don't tell them to stop. It's very easy."

"How many people that you can control?"

"That… I'm not sure," Hitoshi said quieter. "I've never controlled more than six people and that was with my family. They allowed me to 'practice' using them."

"I see," Jun acquiesced before looking at Kazuna. "How about you?"

"When I touch someone's head, I can read their memory. They won't feel any pain when I do it and they don't have to give me permission. The speed depends on the people. Older and more experienced people will take more time. I'm not sure about how many seconds, it's because…" Kazuna stops for a moment before she cautiously proceeds, "I'm not sure, Sensei… I've… never really read someone's memory."

Jun frowned. "What do you mean?"

"…if I have to, I prefer not to read anyone's memory. The last time I tried to do it to 'sharpen' my skill, it didn't end very well…" Kazuna's fair tone wavers. "Um, anyway… you must know that I read backward. It's from your newest memory to your oldest. I can't choose which memory I want to read, so it's that not efficient…"

"Backward?" Jun repositioned himself, implying that he'd become very interested in Kazuna's story. "I'm a bit lost here. How do you read people's memory? Do you see collages of their life? Won't you feel dizzy afterward? I assume you will, because you literally absorb their knowledge."

"…it's like a movie… like flashbacks…" Kazuna enlightened her teacher with sentences she knew would explain the best. "What I mean by backward isn't a movie played in reverse, but it's like… I'll watch what happened this afternoon, then this morning, then last night…"

"And won't you feel dizzy?" Jun reminded that Kazuna hadn't answered one question.

"No…? I mean, I don't know… I don't know my limit…" Kazuna brought her hands to the front, all ten fingers fiddling. "So far, it's been good… but who knows I'll faint if I read ten people's memory without resting? Sorry, Sensei, I don't know a lot about my power because I've never really practiced like Shinsou. No one's willing to be read by me and I understand that. If I were them, I wouldn't want it to."

"Silly girl. Why are you apologizing? Your quirk is very rare and strong. Don't you feel like the chosen one? You two should feel like the chosen ones," Jun comforted Kazuna and Hitoshi. "Yeah… I think that's enough for now. I don't to ask more than needed. You may leave."

While saying "thank you" and "goodbye", Kazuna and Hitoshi simultaneously bowed to Jun. They headed back to the door where Hitoshi opened it first before Kazuna and allowed the girl to step out first.

"Ito! I forgot to tell you!" Jun shouted and made almost everyone in the room stare at him. "You can always use our gym to practice! It has everything you need!"

Kazuna mildly lifted one corner of her lips. "Thank you so much, Sensei."

Hitoshi closed the door behind him after both himself and Kazuna were out. They weren't inside for more than ten minutes, yet the hallway had turned into a morning market. One guy complained about his boring class, one cursed at the hanging lamp about forgetting to charge his phone, one mumbled about being allergic to spring. The area around the shoe lockers was the most crowded one and that was when they had to go next.

Both didn't say a thing as they went to their own locker that was only separated by three closets. They saw their classmates who were busy with their own world and friends. Neither Kazuna or Hitoshi could consider themselves as a part of their "world" and "friends", so they knew that they wouldn't be welcomed to join the clique. They changed their school shoes to their sneakers and left through the front gate with Kazuna trailing just a meter behind Hitoshi.

"Shinsou," Kazuna called her new friend, stopping him and making him turn around to see her. "Hey, uh… Thank you for today… Don't you have to go to the parking lot? I'll go to the other way, so… see you tomorrow…"

"You don't want to go home with me?"

Kazuna flinched and she was one hundred percent sure Hitoshi caught her involuntary movement. "Uh? Okay, if it's not a bother…"

"Silly girl," Hitoshi quoted what Jun said in the teachers' room before he continued moving his feet forward. He didn't have to check behind him to know that Kazuna was giggling like crazy.

"Hey, Shinsou…" Once she was done projecting the joyfulness she felt, she called Hitoshi again while running so she could be next to him. "Hey, question? What's the weirdest thing someone has ever asked you regarding of your quirk?

"The weirdest thing?" Hitoshi murmured. "I guess... not a question, but a request. And actually not the weirdest but the most memorable."

"I'm ready!" Kazuna exclaimed.

"Last year, the ceiling of my school's main building fell. It included the canteen and first years' classrooms. They had to renovate many parts, so we got a holiday from Monday until Friday. People from my class and other classes begged me to make the headmaster write an official letter, stating that that Saturday would be free as well. They wanted me to grant them one full week of holiday."

Kazuna hysteristically laughed and Hitoshi never knew that she could create a voice that loud before. He would never say this and creep her out, but even her laughter looked and sounded enchanting. Though if he had to choose, he'd go with her beautiful smile.

"What about you?" Hitoshi asked once Kazuna got a control of herself.

"Well, there's one." Kazuna scratched her nose from a sudden itchiness. "When I was in my first year of middle school, one of my female classmates asked if I could read the memory of an object."

"What? An object? What did you say then?" Hitoshi was astonished because he didn't expect that high level of stupidity.

"I only said 'no'. I was… holding my laughter the entire time." Kazuna sniggered as she replayed the scene in her mind. Even now, she could never forget that. It was too extraordinary—in a bad way—to be forgotten that easily.

"Like how come someone can be that stupid," Hitoshi added.

"Exactly." Kazuna tried to close her mouth from kept showing her teeth, but she couldn't. "But, Shinsou… This is great, don't you think? I know you can understand how I feel about people around me and I know—I hope I can do the same to you… I hope you're okay with that…"

"Is that why you keep coming to me?"

"Hahaha. You know it is," she answered and at that very moment, Hitoshi felt awful for doubting her, even if it was only for a moment. Just in six hours, she made everything clear.

She saw him as her own reflection, only that he was trapped in a different gender.

They both had a rare and abominable quirk. They didn't want to be born this way, but they didn't have an option to choose their fate. They had to live with this curse forever, unless if society could change their perspective.

But it'd never happen. Society would never change and who were they to change it?

They were the ones who had to apologize when people disregarded them. They were the ones who had to forget their dreams because no one trusted them enough to give them a second look. They were the ones who had to accept the fact that they had to suffer by living a life they didn't wish for, whether they liked it or not. By the end of everything, they were the ones who had to adapt to how the world treated them.

* * *

Thank you for reading! Reviews are greatly appreciated! ❤


	4. Chapter Four

Happy reading!

* * *

 **Chapter 4: One Sunday Morning  
**

The constant mewl of two adult cats woke Hitoshi up from his deep sleep. Today was Sunday and he struggled to leave the warmth of his blanket that always felt like a perfect match with the cold air filling his room. He wanted to rest until his body decided that it was enough, but when eight paws were planted all over his body, he knew he had zero percent chance of reconnecting the dream he could barely recall. Did he travel to a resort and eat shrimp by the ocean? Or did he go to a nearby seafood restaurant that had a beach-like interior?

"What is it…?" he grumbled as he felt two paws landing on his left cheek, followed by a purring sound beside his ear and a tickly feeling from pointy whiskers. He saw no hope in even trying to stay still.

Carefully, he threw his blanket to the side and held what appeared to be a short-haired cream cat. He looked at the white one who could only meow for attention near his feet before glancing at the clock hung on the wall in front of his queen size bed. It was nine in the morning, two hours later than his usual waking up time during holidays. Two hours later than the time he usually fed his cats. If he still lived with his mother, she'd take over the duty whenever he was unavailable. Unfortunately, this wouldn't happen for the next three years or whenever he went back to his hometown.

"Mitsu." He flicked the red nose of the cream-colored cat in his hands. "So now you're smart enough to open my bedroom door when you're searching for food? What should I do to you?"

He didn't expect any answer from the fluffy being who's staring at him with a pair of beautiful yellow eyes, tail down and wiggling joyfully. He smiled with a huff before putting the cat down, leaving his bed and fixing his disheveled top as much as he could—it wasn't like there was somebody important that he must impress in this place. He stepped to the door that was slightly opened, enough for two chubby cats to barge in. They trailed behind him as the exit brought them to the main room of the apartment, where the living room was located and connected to the kitchen and a dining table for four people.

Three stainless steel pet bowls were placed on a small area between the kitchen and the door to the washroom. One was green, one was blue, both were empty. The other one was white and bigger than the previous two. It was filled with water that was half full.

Hitoshi went to grab a bag of dry cat food from a kitchen counter cabinet and poured enough kibbles to the empty bowls. By eyes, he knew how much he had to give without overfeeding. It didn't take long for his smart pets to line up in front of their respective bowl, not fighting and stealing from each other.

When he put the food back to its place, he realized that he had no more stock left. The one he currently had could only last for another ten days. He moved to open his double door refrigerator, checking and making a mental note of what's supposed to be there—eggs, milk, some frozen food, some canned fish, and a few other things. He did the same to the cabinets above his counters—instant noodles, dry soup mixes, a lot of snacks to carry him throughout the week. Clearly, it was time to shop and today was the perfect day to do it.

* * *

Hitoshi had lived in this town for almost a month. The first two weeks was him adapting himself in a new environment. The last two was him starting his first year of a high school student. In every Sunday, the streets surrounding his apartment were always full of young people who walked in a group or hand in hand alone with their partner. Sometimes he would encountered those who he'd seen before in his school's cafeteria or hallways. It should be a safe guess that most of these people were Yuuei's students, although he couldn't be too sure since other schools existed nearby. It'd be so much easier had they brought a book with them.

"Shinsou?"

Hitoshi hadn't gone too far from the elevator on the first floor of his apartment when a voice called him out. He turned around and found Kazuna jogging and halting less than a meter away from him. She wore a white t-shirt with a big sunflower covering her heaving and sweaty chest. He never thought that she'd collect anything pink because of her boyish demeanor, but she had pink track pants that fit her plain white sneakers brilliantly. Her left hand held a blue plastic water bottle that was almost empty, as if she knew for sure that she would need that much before arriving back home. She didn't seem to be bringing earphones, one item that many runners had with them. She had no gloves on either.

"Good morning. Where are you going?" Kazuna asked when she didn't get any response from Hitoshi.

"…good morning. I'm going to the supermarket," Hitoshi finally answered with a sluggish tone. If he looked lifeless inside and out, he had to blame his empty morning stomach.

"Oh, right… I also need to shop for groceries," Kazuna muttered to herself. "Well, then. See you lat—"

"Let's go together," Hitoshi invited Kazuna on a whim. This wasn't his first time offering himself to drive her somewhere and this wasn't her first time accepting his generosity without feeling like she'd taken him for granted. It wasn't shocking when she swiftly nodded her head.

"Sure… but I need to take a shower first for ten minutes… Is that okay?"

"It's okay. I'll wait near the gate."

"Thank you, Shinsou," Kazuna said before dashing towards the elevator. She got lucky since she didn't have to wait for too long for the door to be opened. She looked at Hitoshi one last time, waved her hand, stepped into the empty box, and was gone from his vision.

Hitoshi took a deep breath before continuing his way to the parking lot, mind wondering about his relationship with Kazuna. They'd known each other for two weeks. They'd been eating lunch and going home together, yet he couldn't really say that they had a close relationship or even claim their status as something more than classmates. They were never alone at school as Yuzuru would be there to start and end any types of conversation they had. When they were on bicycle, they never talked much about themselves. Sometimes they discussed about the upcoming tests or homework, the other time was to retell the fun things that happened during the day.

Maybe Kazuna was more open towards Yuzuru since both of them were girls. Maybe they had each other's contact and so many stories had been told when no one else was aware of it. Hitoshi wanted to believe his own theory, but there was a big part of him that couldn't imagine it happening. Kazuna seemed to be a very private person and even if she never begged someone to stop questioning her life, she often gave them nothing but a crooked smile as an answer. If she really had to speak to Yuzuru about things she couldn't share with anyone else, it'd probably be about their personal hygiene.

As soon as Hitoshi took his bicycle from one long line of two-wheelers, he rode it to the wooden bench next to the apartment's main gate. He left his vehicle next to the bench before sitting down, grabbing his phone from his pocket and positioning himself as comfortable as possible. He loaded one RPG game that he often played when he didn't have anything more productive to do. Thanks to the apartment's free Wi-Fi, he never had to worry whenever he had to update an application before he could proceed. With this, he hoped the time would pass quickly.

* * *

"Shinsou, I'm sorry!"

Hitoshi remained soundless as he watched Kazuna sprint towards him because she was gone for almost twenty minutes instead of ten. He wasn't mad, of course, and he actually didn't mind waiting for another ten—although it would've been kinder had she notified him somehow. Forty-five minutes without a word would be his limit because he could've used the time to shop and he'd be back within the time limit. Since he respected her, he'd definitely leave a message to the security to tell her that he was going alone.

Another thing that caught his attention was the way she dressed up. She had a sleeveless peach top covered under a thin white lace cardigan. She seemed comfortable enough to wear short blue jeans that hid only half of her thighs—something that many people felt too embarrassing to show. For her footwear, she used the same white sneakers from her previous workout. As an addition, there was a white sling bag on her right shoulder. People who saw her for the first time would immediately think of her as someone who knew quite a few things about fashion.

"I knocked over my detergent box and had to clean it up, I'm sorry!" Kazuna tried to explain once she stood near Hitoshi. She looked desperate, as if Hitoshi would have the heart to punch her nose because of this one little accident. He wouldn't even call it a mistake.

"It's alright, I'm not angry," Hitoshi calmly shushed her as he left the bench to prepare his bicycle. "Come."

"Really…?"

"Really."

"…okay, if you say so." Kazuna showed Hitoshi a dim smile, but it was always enough to lighten up the atmosphere around them. She mounted the bicycle and kept her bag between the gap of her legs and Hitoshi's lower back. She felt safer this way since people would have less chance in mugging her.

"Ready?" Hitoshi glanced at the girl behind him, making sure that it was okay to pedal his way out of this place. He indeed could see it himself whether she was ready or not. She seemed to, but there was nothing wrong with asking. He never wanted to bring her somewhere without her permission.

"I'm ready," Kazuna gave a green light and Hitoshi did what he had to do—cycling forward and greeting the two securities at the gate with a "good morning". Kazuna did the same, only a tad softer because that was the way she spoke. A bat with its spectacular hearing ability would sometimes have a difficult time perceiving her words.

"By the way… you dress well," Hitoshi said something he would usually keep for himself, but he felt like Kazuna needed to know this one skill she had. Many fifteen years old out there had zero clue to mix-and-match colors and patterns. She should be proud of herself because she owned a pair of good eyes that could help her and other people in so many different ways.

"Ah, thank you," Kazuna sounded very surprised and happy at the same time. "Truth be told, Shinsou… if I can't become a hero, I want to become a fashion designer…"

"Cool. Are you a good drawer?"

"Not at all."

"Huh, you've never been so confident before."

"I'm serious…!" Kazuna hit Hitoshi's back with almost no power that it couldn't even hurt an ant. "We haven't been told to draw something in our art class. Once we are… I'm going to show you what I'm capable of, but please don't laugh, okay?"

"Don't tell me it's the two mountains with a sun between them."

"I don't draw that!" Kazuna corrected, voice louder than usual before faltering faster than the morning wind when she heard a muffled yet familiar sound coming from Hitoshi. "…are you laughing? I don't draw that, so stop laughing, please…?"

Hitoshi covered his mouth with his left hand as his right one stayed on the handlebar, attempting to prevent his emotion since he didn't want Kazuna to beg him to stop the ride, leave, and end their newfound friendship. "I guess it doesn't really matter. I've seen some designers' drawings and they don't look that good. It's like they draw random lines and throw random colors on the paper."

"Can you draw yourself…?" Kazuna asked in return, frowning.

"Of course. Tables, chairs, boxes—"

"See!" Kazuna shouted before chuckling, then shifting her laugh into a smile. "But you're very smart, Shinsou… You can solve difficult math equations with no problem… If you can't become a hero, you can become a teacher… maybe?"

"I don't know." Hitoshi steered to the left lane of the busy road, but it was nothing for a bicycle that could pass through every impossible crack and gap. "I haven't thought of not becoming a hero."

"Ah. You're really determined to become a professional hero, aren't you?"

"I am," Hitoshi coolly replied.

"Er, what kinds of cats that you have, Shinsou?" Barely thirty seconds passed after their previous discussion and F/N had chosen how to continue their conversation.

"Just normal domestic cats. Short-haired."

"What are they called and how old are they?"

"The white's one Hachi, a male. The brown one's Mitsu, a female. They're siblings. They'll be three years old this Friday. I rescued their parents near my house years ago, but I left them with my mother since my apartment is too small for four adult cats to live and run freely," Hitoshi explained more than he was asked, but no sane human would hate small talks about cats.

"Hachi and Mitsu…?" Kazuna repeated the two names she heard. "You mean _hachimitsu_ , as in 'honey'?"

"Yes. I'm not going to name my cat just Hachi because it's meant for a dog."

"Well…" Kazuna paused for a moment to try to understand Hitoshi's logic and she somewhat got what he meant. "Yeah."

* * *

It was funny to admit that this was Kazuna's first time entering a pet shop. She'd passed by some when she was hanging out around the malls in her hometown, but she never actually walked in one because she had no purpose to do so. Her first thought concerning the medium-sized store in the left side of the street was that it was a bit stinky. It wasn't something unbearable, but definitely something she expected from a place full of dogs, cats, and other kinds of pets. The bags of sands, foods, sprayers, medicines, and other things must be at fault too.

As she waited for Hitoshi to finish his business here, she looked around to find something that she could enjoy watching, rather than just standing near the entrance like a clueless idiot. She counted there were less than ten customers including her and Hitoshi. There were some workers who were busy organizing the store. They talked pretty loudly to each other about the list of items that they mustn't forget to change since they'd expire soon.

She stopped when she stumbled upon an aisle of colorful tanks without roof. Even from far, she could already see the inside of each one of them—grasses, stones, and some sort of rough sand. She stepped to the nearest tank and didn't know what to feel when she saw a matured brown snake with pale yellow stripes painting its entire body. She didn't remember her last encounter with a snake. Coming from a big town like Osaka and Hiroshima, she never really visited a misty forest or wherever snake would usually appear. She knew what's in front of her wouldn't poison her, but she didn't intend to come closer.

"Hey."

Kazuna's heart almost jumped when he heard Hitoshi's deep voice. She snapped her head to the left and found Hitoshi heading towards her, eyes examining the tank that stole her attention.

"Are you done already?" she commented on the fact that Hitoshi didn't have anything in his hands. He should've held at least one plastic bag to carry the cats food, but he had nothing with him.

"Yes. I bought a ten-kilogram bag. It's heavy, so they're going to send it to our apartment this afternoon," Hitoshi replied as his eyes drifted to every corner of the excluded place. "Why are you here? You like snakes?"

"I don't like snakes…" Kazuna meekly stated one obvious fact. Honestly, she was baffled as to why Hitoshi even questioned such thing. She knew she didn't look like someone who'd collect reptiles or insects and play with them in her spare time. She'd rather do some gardening or golfing.

Hitoshi spent some time gazing inside the aforementioned tank before he continued speaking, "Be careful. This snake doesn't bite, but when it does, the venom can kill you in minutes."

With a gasp, Kazuna took a sizable step back, away from an area she thought would be safe. She had so many questions coming into her mind. Why would any pet shop sell a wild animal that could potentially kill its owner? Why didn't they put any warnings on the tank or anywhere else? Did they deliberately ask to be sued?

"It's alright, don't be scared," Hitoshi told Kazuna. "Try to pet the head. If you get bitten, you don't have to worry. The hospital's nearby. I can quickly bring you there."

"What? No…" Kazuna gave Hitoshi a confused and guarded look. She hoped Hitoshi wasn't being serious, because if he was, then she had to consider cutting ties with him and moving to another apartment. Having a friend who advised her to get bitten by a snake didn't sound like a good plan.

Hitoshi sniggered before suddenly stroking the long body of the snake, proving that it remained immobile. "I was just messing with you. Of course they're all non-lethal. Do you think there's a pet shop that wants to sell venomous—"

"Ugh… I really was terrified…!" Kazuna pushed Hitoshi sideways, but her strength could only budge his upper body as his feet stayed still on the ground.

"You're hilarious," Hitoshi remarked, unable to stop enjoying this one little scene between them. "Why didn't you get the joke? I know nothing about types of snakes."

"It's because I trusted you!" Kazuna wore a grumpy face, pouting and keeping her sight low so she didn't have to see Hitoshi's snarky face. "…whatever. I guess I won't anymore."

"I'm sorry." The intensity in Hitoshi's voice slowly subdued. "But I wasn't lying about the part that there are non-lethal snakes that are venomous. In a way, they have venom, but their venom isn't that dangerous."

"…but you said you know nothing about snakes," Kazuna brought back what Hitoshi just said ten seconds ago.

"But this is basic knowledge," Hitoshi defended himself.

Kazuna halfheartedly rocked her head up and down, heavily implying her skepticism. "If you say so…"

"You don't believe me?"

"I already said I won't believe you anymore…" Kazuna lazily murmured. "Let's just get out of here."

Hitoshi spoke no more. _How innocent_ was the only thing he could think of as he watched the shorter girl walk past him.

* * *

OK Supermarket was only a block away from the pet shop, hence it took Hitoshi no time to arrive and park his bicycle in a lot provided by the gigantic place. It wasn't strange to see the sea of adults pushing several shopping carts filled with bags of groceries and loading them into their car. Knowing how the majority of Japanese people work from Monday to Saturday from morning to afternoon and sometimes night, today could be the only time for them to replenish.

"Should we separate ways?" Hitoshi asked Kazuna who stood beside him, just when they entered the supermarket through the north automatic door.

"Why?" Kazuna asked back, eyebrows furrowed.

"Maybe you want to go to a different section. I don't know."

"No, it's alright… I'll stay with you… It's not convenient if we get separated in a supermarket this big…" she decided with a sensible reason behind it. They could meet up near the entrance or at the meat section, but it was better to just stick together.

"You're not mad at me anymore?"

Her pout came back, but everyone who looked at it could instantly sense the pretense. Hitoshi kept his eyes on her, wanting to tell her to stop doing her awful façade, but deciding to let her act as much as she wanted. He headed to several rows of steel shopping carts and pulled one out. He brought it away since there were people who wanted to grab one for themselves and noticed how Kazuna didn't get one for herself.

"Don't you need a cart?" Hitoshi made sure that Kazuna's mind was still intact.

Kazuna's first reaction was to glance at the line behind her, then back at Hitoshi. "Are you planning to buy a lot of things? I thought we could just share one…"

"Oh. Fine," Hitoshi said shortly before leaving the crowd with Kazuna closely following him. The first aisle they got to was for all kinds of seeds, such as grains, nuts, and beans, but also all kinds of flours. By far, this could be titled as the driest segment in the entire market.

"Shinsou… Do you want to buy rice? Can you carry it with your bicycle?" Kazuna asked as she inspected every single item displayed on the racks around her, noting that a bicycle's basket wasn't able to hold heavy objects. He could get a five-kilogram bag of rice with some other stuff, but today he wasn't alone. He had to think for two people.

"No, I still have some at home," Hitoshi said. "Do you know that there's this store near our apartment that sells rice and beans? They can deliver the order right to our door."

"Yes, I got mine from there." Kazuna took two one-kilogram bags of all-purpose flour from the left rack and dropped it into the cart, startling Hitoshi since she appeared out of nowhere from behind. "What do you need, Shinsou? I'll grab them for you…"

"No, not from here. I want to buy noodles. I eat noodles more than rice. Every morning, actually."

Kazuna suddenly halted her legs, turning around and preventing Hitoshi from moving any further. "You mean… instant noodles?"

"What else?"

"But… that's unhealthy…" Kazuna frowned, couldn't help but to lecture her friend. "Do you add anything nutritious to your noodles? Like fresh vegetables and meat?"

Hitoshi shook his head, making a self-deprecating look on his face. "Do I look like someone who can make something other than scrambled egg?"

Kazuna involuntarily laughed, but she came into a full stop when she realized that she didn't want to hurt Hitoshi's feeling because there was nothing wrong with not being able to cook that well. "Sorry, uh, do you like vegetables?"

"I don't mind. I'm not a picky eater as long as it's tasty," Hitoshi casually answered. Most people in the world would have the same mindset as him, even Kazuna herself.

"Then… is it okay if starting from today, I'll cook for you?" Kazuna offered, delicately conveying her sincerity because she didn't want to come off as prying. "I mean… I still need to learn a lot, but I'm pretty good with cooking something easy… I guess. What do you say…?"

Hitoshi didn't even consider refusing her because of so many reasons. One, Kazuna's always so considerate towards him and he had long set a principle of never pushing her kindness away, as long as it didn't harm him in any way possible. Two, who would say no to someone who's willing to cook homemade food for them? Even more, for every single day? Three, they both could save up some money if they split the cost of their monthly food. He simply couldn't foresee an disadvantage to this.

"Okay. I don't mind. Thank you," Hitoshi sincerely said right after, bowing his head once as a symbol of gratitude. "Then… I think we should pay half and half for the food we're going to eat, but can I repay you with buying all the rice?"

"Eh? No, you don't have—"

"Just the rice," Hitoshi demanded, eyes becoming sharp but winsome at the same time. "Please?"

Kazuna had a doubt in agreeing, but she knew which would be the wisest and quickest solution for this situation "…okay, but just the rice."

"Just the rice," Hitoshi repeated, sealing his words into a vow. "So, what do you want to get next?"

"Um… Some oil, sauce, vinegar, seasoning…"

"Alright." Hitoshi pushed the cart through the long alley. This time, Kazuna walked beside him instead of behind or somewhere farther. With each passing second, the distance between them shrank until there was a little to none of it.

* * *

The shopping cart that once was filled with only dry ingredients had become full with fresh produce in multiple shapes and colors, but mainly green, red, and white. Hitoshi never thought that Kazuna's a big fan of vegetables until she took a lot of broccolis, cucumbers, carrots, and several types of cabbages. When he said that he favorited chicken among all the meats, she took some bone-in skin-on thighs since they was sold very cheaply compared to the other cuts. Alongside a few things that he'd never touched before, they went to the cashier where he decided to pay for everything first and told her to count her share once they were home.

Without debating over it, Hitoshi picked two plastic bags, leaving Kazuna with the lightest one that contained half of their vegetables. She understood if he wanted to continue being a gentleman, thus she had no objection as she followed him back to the parking lot. He could only fit the biggest bag inside his basket and she didn't mind hugging the other two alongside her own bag, careful enough not to spill a thing. They cycled back to their apartment in a reasonable speed and arrived within minutes that they used to discuss about the food they were going to make—he always said "cook whatever you want" not because he didn't care, but because he really didn't know anything about roasting or basting.

"Hey… Is it okay if I cook at your place? Do you have a complete set of kitchen appliances?" Kazuna asked while Hitoshi was locking his bicycle to their apartment's carrier. This place provided a gas range, refrigerator, counters with cabinets, sink, trash can, and everything else besides appliances. It didn't even give a single spoon, so people must bring their own knifes, pans, and plates.

"I have all you need besides a mixer." Once he was done, Hitoshi took the plastic bag from his basket and looked at Kazuna. "I was thinking that we should cook at your place, but I don't mind if you cook at mine. Just a warning, it's a bit messy and it smells like a pet shop."

"It's okay. I also want to see your cats." Kazuna sweetly smiled. "I just think that it's easier for me to prepare myself for school, then head to your apartment and cook. We can go to school together afterwards. You don't have to come up to my place and then go down again. Do I make sense…?"

Hitoshi lifted one eyebrow, as if the explanation he just heard was beyond distasteful. "You want to cook me breakfast too?"

"…eh, uh, yes?" Kazuna looked lost. She was sure that she said it very clearly when they were still at OK Supermarket. Or perhaps not? Perhaps when she said that starting from today she'd cook for him, he translated the sentence into "I'll cook you dinner". It could also be that he only ate once a day, but seeing his tall and huge figure, the possibility appeared to be out of question.

Similar to their previous exchange, all Hitoshi could say was "thank you" because he hadn't gone dumb by refusing a free chef that he'd only pay with rice. He left the parking lot with Kazuna, straight to the elevator and up to the seventh floor. In a matter of seconds, they reached his apartment where he hastily searched for the key inside of his pocket. He unlocked the door and just as he warned her, she smelled a distinct odor of everything related to cats, but less strong than what she experienced at the pet shop from before. She could happily spend some nights here without complaining.

Her eyes wandered around the place as they progressed to the kitchen. There was nothing remarkable about this place since it was basically the same as hers, but she had to agree that it was a bit chaotic. Some books were scattered on the round table in the living room with a remote control, a tissue box, a glass of water, and a phone charger. One dark blue hoodie and brown blanket laid unfolded on the ivory sofa for three people. The dining area was slightly better since the table was empty. The kitchen looked clean too, but who knew about the inside of the refrigerator and all the cabinets. Many people loved to just throw things inside without sorting them out.

"Hey," Hitoshi suddenly spoke, but not to Kazuna who's startled by his pitchy yet velvety tone. His greeting was meant for the two cats that stood near the refrigerator. One was white—Hachi—and the other one was brown—Mitsu. Hachi was evidently bigger because he was a male. Their tail was long and their ears are higher than most cats that Kazuna had seen so far, but as someone who knew almost next to nothing about cats, she wouldn't ponder too hard about it.

"How cute, are they—huh?" Kazuna almost leaped behind when Hachi fled from the spot, leaving Mitsu who hadn't budged. "Eh? What's wrong? Is he scared of me…?"

"He's not used to you. He always does that to strangers," Hitoshi nonchalantly explained as he put down his plastic bags on top of one of the counters. "Give him three days."

"Eh, isn't that too long?" Kazuna squeaked, dropping her plastic bag on the counter across.

"No, it's normal. Trust me. I know him."

Kazuna looked at Hachi who's sitting beside the TV stand while still cautiously keeping his round yellow eyes on her. "…okay."

"I thought you wouldn't trust me anymore?"

Kazuna snorted out a faint laughter because apparently Hitoshi still couldn't move on from what happened between them and those snakes. She didn't pout for the third time. She couldn't. With this and his question on whether she was no longer mad at him, she found his personality to be amusing instead.

* * *

For the next fifteen minutes, Hitoshi and Kazuna did what people would do after they went back from groceries shopping—they transferred the things they'd bought to where they belonged. Kazuna took care of the vegetables by washing them and putting them inside the refrigerator that'd been scrubbed by Hitoshi. It looked unstained at the first glance, but it was because it'd only been used for a month since he moved here. Once they were done, they put all the dry products inside the cabinets that looked emptier than how he remembered it since he no longer got himself four dozen of instant noodles.

"Have you had breakfast, Shinsou?" Kazuna questioned what she should've asked an hour ago. Guess she had too much fun with their little trip until she forgot about this important detail.

"No, I only drank water." Hitoshi leaned against the counter on his right. "You should've had breakfast already, since you ran."

"I ate two milk buns. That should be considered as breakfast."

Hitoshi shrugged. "I suppose."

"Then what do you want to eat? Should I grill our mackerels? How about vegetables soup? If you want miso, I must go back to my apartment and grab some ingredients since you have none."

"Grilled mackerels with vegetables soup sounds good," Hitoshi prevented Kazuna to do more work than needed.

"Really?" Kazuna tilted her head to one side, trying to make sure that Hitoshi didn't say that merely because he felt bad for being too demanding. "What about beef teriyaki? Curry?"

"Aren't those for dinner?" Hitoshi's eyes dropped to the floor. "You don't have to make something fancy. Something edible and tasty is good enough for me."

"Okay." Kazuna smiled before heading towards the refrigerator and opening the door. "Will you help me chop the vegetables and tofu?"

"I can do that."

Kazuna stooped to get one carrot, daikon, scallion, and a block of tofu, handing them to Hitoshi who kept them on the counter. Without having to be told, Hitoshi took two medium-sized potatoes from a shelf in the corner of the kitchen and grouped them with the stuff he was going to work with. He checked on Kazuna who had two mackerels laying on the counter beside the refrigerator. Like it was her own house—and not like he minded—she swarmed around the place to grab a frying pan and some salt and pepper. She took a bottle of vegetable oil near the stove and drizzled around a tablespoon onto the cold pan before turning the flame on.

"How do you want me to cut the vegetables?" Hitoshi asked once he realized that he'd been doing nothing but watching the girl in awe.

She glanced at Hitoshi over her shoulder. "Cut them in half and slice them thinly. The potatoes can be a bit bigger since they cook fast. For the scallions, just cut them with scissors since it's easier. It'll be used for the topping, so you can do it later."

From the cabinet below the counter he was using now, Hitoshi took a plastic cutting board that looked pristine because it was new and rarely used, together with some bowls and a red peeler. He could hear Kazuna rip the plastic protecting the package of the mackerels, then came the sound of her sprinkling salt and cracking black peppers directly from its mini bottle. When the skin of the mackerels hit the pan and crisped up, he felt a bit melancholic. It'd been a while since the place he was living at was permeated by the nice aroma of homemade food and the sizzle that was produced by someone other than himself—not like he ever made a single grilled fish since he moved here.

"When did you learn to cook?" Hitoshi initiated a topic as he peeled his carrot, letting the unneeded skin fall inside a bowl.

"Er… six years ago?"

"That's very young. Who taught you?"

"No one."

"Then?"

"From the internet. My parents are always busy. When I still lived with them, I was always home alone so I either had to order food or cook myself. Mostly I just cooked."

"I see." Hitoshi decided to not ask more about what kind of busy job they had, so he moved into the next question, "I assume you don't have any siblings?"

"I have one older sister who's already married, so she lives with her husband and kids, but enough with my background, Shinsou…" Kazuna took over the discussion. "What about your family?"

"My family is very normal to say the least. I'm an only child. Both of my parents work. They go home before dinner. She's a great cook."

"Really?" Kazuna closed the lid of the black pepper, forgetting to do it right after she used it the first time. "I'm a bit terrified now. I hope I can reach your expectation."

Hitoshi smiled, finding silliness in Kazuna's words. "We'll see."

* * *

If Hitoshi had to choose which food he preferred between his mother's and Kazuna's, he'd rather die on the spot. Besides everything being incredibly delicious, there was nothing too much about the way Kazuna created her dish. It wasn't too salty, too sweet, or too overcooked. She must be an angel for knowing when to remove the fish from the pan for it to remain juicy and every bite was akin to chewing a stick of room temperature butter. The broth she made was a money maker—she could bottle them and arrange a meeting with OK Supermarket. He didn't exaggerate because he'd fight so she could get a contract with a nice price.

After lending each of their hand to wash the dishes and clean the dirt left on the dining table and kitchen counters, Hitoshi began to look for the cats he'd been neglecting for almost an hour. First he walked to Hachi who's preparing himself to run from the new girl standing beside his owner, but Kazuna was understanding enough to not come any closer. All Hitoshi did to Hachi was pet his head a couple of times before he decided to sit on a sofa across from the TV because Mitsu's there, licking the back of her paws without caring about anything else.

"Do you want to play with Mitsu?" Hitoshi invited Kazuna to join him and he had to laugh when she took an extra effort to avoid Hachi by circling the room, all the way back to the path of where the bookshelf, water dispenser, and some more unnecessary furniture were placed. Her appearance from behind the sofa made Mitsu raise her head, but only for a split second before she proceeded with her grooming business.

Kazuna sat next to Hitoshi, simply because she didn't want to make Mitsu feel intimidated by presence. Seeing the way she didn't react much more, it could safely be say that her fear towards a stranger was almost nonexistent. That could either be good and dangerous. Good because Hitoshi didn't have to worry about Mitsu hurting his new friends. Dangerous because kleptomaniacs could easily steal Mitsu when Hitoshi wasn't aware of it.

"Here." Hitoshi held Mitsu and put her on Kazuna's lap. She stopped cleaning herself as she looked around the place. Kazuna did think that she'd try to run or jump somewhere upon feeling a foreign heat of someone else than Hitoshi's, but she didn't.

"Very obedient…" Kazuna began stroking Mitsu's back. She couldn't remember the last time she played with an indoor cat this closely. Almost all she touched so far was stray cats she met on the way to school. Most of them would sprint the moment they sensed her. Similar to Hachi, but worse.

"Try to pet her head. She'll lay on her back."

Kazuna squinted as she locked her sight on the messy-haired guy. "…Shinsou, I don't wear my gloves."

Hitoshi widened his eyes, bewildered. "You can read animals' memories?"

Kazuna nodded. "Impractical, right?"

"That's…" Hitoshi took a full stop to sigh. "Just be careful."

"It's alright… I don't think your cats have any bad experience because they've been with you since they're born… but do you know that they actually have a long-term memory?"

It was Hitoshi's turn to nod his head. "I read about that before."

"Meaning… I can see images of you that you don't want anyone to see…" Kazuna looked down when she felt Mitsu hoping from her lap to Hitoshi's, the one that he loved more. "I don't want to see anything, Shinsou…"

"Neither do I. I mean, I don't want you to see things about me," Hitoshi corrected his statement, as if the first one wasn't clear enough. "Anyway, I don't have your LINE."

"You're right!" Kazuna exclaimed, eyes going to the black phone that was on the table in front of her before it was being picked by Hitoshi. It wasn't there before, so he must've put it there when she didn't notice. Her own phone was kept inside of her jeans.

"Here." After unlocking his phone, Hitoshi gave it to Kazuna. He waited for her to add herself into his contact list. Once she was done and gave his phone back, he immediately typed a thing and gave her a hint to check her LINE by tapping his own screen several times. She gave him a look before she did want he wanted her to do—opening the new message he'd sent her.

 _Hitoshi_  
 _[Sent a cat sticker.] 11:46 AM_

Kazuna's euphoric giggle was probably the most artless thing Hitoshi had seen coming from her so far. "Shinsou… Why are you so into cats?"

"Why not? They're adorable."

"Well, yeah… I can't say no to that… The sticker is cute…" Kazuna murmured as she locked her phone, keeping it on the table and making a mental note to not forget about it before she went back to her own place. "Uh, so… when do you eat dinner?"

"At seven usually."

"Then…" Kazuna's eyes languidly met Hitoshi's once again, something they'd done countless of times today. "Beef teriyaki or beef curry?"

"Beef curry," Hitoshi didn't think twice to choose and Kazuna formed a soft smile on her lips, wordlessly agreeing to his decision.

* * *

This site doesn't accept custom HTML, that's why I can't embed the real image of the sticker and use _[Sent a sticker.]_ as placeholder instead. ;_; It's really cute, you might want to check it out on the AO3 version. (the link is on my bio)

Thank you for reading! Reviews are greatly appreciated! ❤


	5. Chapter Five

Beta Reader(s): Neo and Nica

Happy reading!

* * *

 **Chapter 5: One Task or Two**

Kazuna always wondered if being a professional hero would mean losing her privacy. It was unfair to think that she'd never have a chance to enjoy a weekend night with her friends without flashes following them, but for fifteen years of her life, she had never encountered a top-ranking hero that could calmly do their job without having their every single move monitored.

On the third Monday of the month, there was a commotion in front of Yuuei. Countless reporters gathered with their microphones and camcorders, all just to get one or two glimpses of All Might's new life as a teacher. They blocked the students and staff from entering the school and often deliberately stopped them to get an interview, specifically if they were from the hero course since they knew All Might would only teach at this one department. Some students tried to answer timorously because their face could be broadcasted to the entire country, but most chose to run away out of discomfort.

The next day, there were even more reporters. The teachers and security asked them to leave since they were causing a disturbance, but they were hired for a reason. They managed to interview some kids that they couldn't meet the day before, but once again, most just fled in silence. The day ended with them accidentally stepping into the school and activated the Yuuei's legendary barrier that shielded the outer wall with metal that couldn't be shattered that easily. Fortunately, it happened when the first class had already started because if not, then it would create a chaos for those who couldn't go in.

Everyone was talking about the scene, especially Yuzuru who felt as if she was in the middle of something worth externalizing in a history book her grandchildren would read. She gave some worst-case scenarios of what could happen soon, ranging from how All Might would come and someone would die from breaking their neck when everyone fought to speak to him to a random downpour that would make them calm down for a bit, but still with someone breaking their neck when everyone tried to get into their respective car.

Things turned into a bigger question after they changed into their PE uniform. A senior came to inform that the PE teacher was unavailable to attend the class and assigned them to pull the weeds out from one of the training areas. Once they were done, they could go to the cafeteria, library, their own class, or somewhere else until the lunch break ended at 1:20 p.m. Most of the them were furious because they had to clean a facility that would only be used by the department of heroes, but since a teacher's words were absolute, there was nothing much they could do to spare themselves.

Taking the five-minute walk to the area that they had to clean, some students began to discuss the possibility of this having something to do with the press. Seeing how the teachers from other classes were still present and there wasn't any uproar nearby, the two must have no connection. It wasn't rare for a teacher to suddenly be busy with a personal or academical matter, so maybe he was called by the principle or his family got into huge trouble that required him to go home at this instant. The second one sounded more believable.

There were four male janitors in matching grey uniform standing on the sideline when they arrived. At least their teacher didn't let them cluelessly mend everything by themselves as the janitors had brought with them several wheelbarrows, shovels, and disposable rubber gloves. Thankfully, the field where they had to work on wasn't that massive and the weeds grew sporadically. If forty hands didn't stop moving, they could finish everything under an hour and spend the rest of the time occupying the cafeteria however they wanted.

It wasn't only Kazuna's imagination when some eyes peered through her back the moment she took off her gloves and kept them inside her pocket. No one spoked it out loud, but she knew how wary people around her could get when she didn't have anything concealing her hands. She chose not to mind the cold running down her spine as she wore the rubber gloves and stuck closely to Hitoshi and Yuzuru, while Yuuta pushed a wheelbarrow in front of him, guiding them to a lush area that was quite far from the other groups of three to five.

* * *

"Seriously, what is this?! Don't they usually hire people to do this for them?!" Yuzuru grumbled for the eight time within the past twenty minutes as she kneeled on the ground, ignoring the dirt on her covered knees just like the majority of her classmates. Her eyebrows were slanted to emphasize her sweaty angry face under the blazing sun, yet she still managed to stay pretty and graceful.

"Cut it out," Yuuta snarled, seemingly getting tired of the never-ending topic that should had been dropped the moment they left their classroom.

"Um… I think Ishii-sensei doesn't want us slack off. Imagine if he told us to do something at the gym. We'd just lay on the ground and play with our phone…" Kazuna voiced her opinion in order to soothe the heat between the twins, but Yuzuru clicked her tongue, proving that she didn't accept any kind of explanation towards this treatment.

"He could've told us to go to the fitness center. There must be something to do there, running or cycling or anything better than pulling weeds," Yuzuru continued. "I hope this ends quickly."

"Don't worry, we're halfway done…" Kazuna cooed while looking around the area, where people appeared to be no less stressed than Yuzuru. She flicked the hair that was sticking on her damp forehead, taking a deep breath afterwards. Her throat was a bit dry and no one in her group thought of bringing anything to drink with them. There were some other kids who did, but it'd be weird if she suddenly asked for a sip of their drink since she never talked to them. She had no other friends besides the three people working next to her.

"There's some dirt on your left cheek," Hitoshi muttered.

"Huh?" Kazuna turned her head towards the guy who kneeled to her right. "What?"

Hitoshi pointed at his own left cheek. "There's some dirt on your left cheek."

"Oh." Kazuna brought her hand up, wiping the spot with the back of her hand that wasn't as mucky as the other side. "Gone?"

"You've messed it up even more."

Kazuna did the same thing as before, but rougher. "Now?"

Hitoshi showed a little smile as he pulled his right glove off. He didn't warn Kazuna when he stroked her cheek with his bare thumb while the other four fingers rested on the side of her face. The dirt had dried off as it took him some effort and occasional presses against the skin to make sure that she looked as good as when he saw her this morning. For others, she might seem too nonchalant about this—it was as if he had treated her this way millions of times before—but her sight fell onto the ground. It'd be too embarrassing to meet his eyes when the act between them could create misunderstandings.

"Done," Hitoshi said after some time before standing up. "I'll get a new glove."

"Thank you, Shinsou" Kazuna made sure that Hitoshi's kindness wasn't underappreciated.

"Can you buy us something to drink?" Yuzuru asked, just before Hitoshi walked away.

"Yeah, what do you want?"

"Pocari," Yuzuru promptly decided before glaring at Yuuta. "You should go with Shinsou. He can't carry everything by himself. Don't you want a drink for yourself?"

Yuuta checked the two vending machines located on one side of the field between some wooden benches and a trash can. He stood up as he stared at the stack of dead wild grasses near his feet that he hadn't moved into the wheelbarrow. His eyes were a mystery—it was either he got annoyed at them or he actually didn't want to be separated from them.

"What about you?" Hitoshi asked Kazuna. "The usual milk tea?"

"Ah, yeah, that one's good." Kazuna nodded her head several times. "Thank you again."

After a soft "no problem", Hitoshi left the place, followed by Yuuta who soon enough caught up to the other's step, ending up with them walking side by side to their destination. It was fun to see how Hitoshi was the one who almost always initiated a talk, but was never too much for it to last longer than a maximum of three sentences before the two of them had nothing else to say. They never had a frivolous discussion about movies or video games like their other mate classmates did, so that should explain the limited topics they could thoroughly enjoy.

"Tell me…" Yuzuru grinned, right when she was sure that the boys couldn't hear her anymore. "How close have you and Shisou gotten?"

Kazuna frowned. Her mouth was opened and closed a couple of times like a fish longing for oxygen because she didn't know how to answer. Yuzuru's question wasn't a simple yes or no matter. It was about a real value; a clear number or range. That said, should she mention a percentage? But "Shinsou and I are sixty-eight percent close" sounded like a joke.

"I don't even remember your 'usual milk tea' because you don't always get that every time we have lunch together," Yuzuru put emphasis to what Hitoshi said to Kazuna just a few moment ago. "Well, you two spend a lot of time inside and outside the school together. It should be normal, I guess?"

"I like Kirin's milk tea. I've had it several times here, but he knows it's my favorite because I always buy a lot when we go to the supermarket," Kazuna explained as concise as she could manage. She was relieved when Yuzuru smiled and dropped the subject altogether by not interrogating her even further and continuing the work on the land below them.

With all her heart, Kazuna understood any suspicions regarding her actual relationship with Hitoshi. They lived in the same apartment and were only a floor away from meeting each other whenever they wanted, they had started traveling to school and other places together, and they were almost never seen apart besides when they had to go to somewhere private like the toilet. The word "close" was suited to describe how they appeared in the eyes of those who had heard a few things about them. If someone else were in her shoes, she'd probably judge that person the same way. She had no control over this.

Hitoshi came back soon after with a bottle of jasmine tea and milk tea, while Yuuta had a bottle of lemon soda and Yuzuru's Pocari. They handed the drink to the girls and began chugging, not caring about the dirty gloves that soiled the outer part of their bottle. Yuzuru was overreacting a bit by letting out a few "ahh" and "ohh", but considering the fact that they hadn't had anything for twenty minutes under the scorching sunlight in the middle of the day, her reaction was understandable.

"Who paid for this?" Yuzuru asked, putting her drink down.

"I did," Hitoshi said, looking one by one into the eyes of his three friends. "You guys don't have to pay me back."

Yuzuru narrowed her eyes. "Be honest, Shinsou. Is your family rich?"

"No." Hitoshi's answer was like a flash. His straight face came out as if he was used to be misunderstood in this particular topic and Yuzuru wasn't the first one who asked.

"Okay, I've never been to your apartment, but I know that it's expensive. It has its own lift and a huge parking lot, that alone should explain. High school students won't just move to another town and get a place like that, unless if their parents get some long number in their bank account. Other apartments around are just like a small room with a small bathroom and small kitchen inside. Of course, they have stairs. Not a lift. Not even a door that uses a card—they all use a normal key," Yuzuru gave a thorough explanation before looking at Kazuna. "You're also rich, aren't you? You went to a middle school with its own dorm. I bet it was a private one."

"It was a private one…" Kazuna spoke first. "My parents are good, I guess…? I've never had problems asking them for stuff, but the reason why I got this apartment is because it's actually cheaper than the other high-end apartments around here. There were only some rooms left when I contacted the landlord, so I knew I had to take it…"

"Same about the last part, but my parents aren't rich," Hitoshi added, closing the lid of his bottle. "My father works on the railway and my mother works as a high school teacher. They saved up. They always told me that high school would be the best experience in my life and I'm not planning to go to any higher education, so they spent everything on me attending Yuuei."

Yuzuru nodded her head several times, hinting that she understood Hitoshi before dragging her eyes back to Kazuna. "What's your parents' job then?"

"Mine? Um, just a normal corporate job. They go to the office in the morning and go back home before dinner. I assume they have a high position there, but I never ask what."

"Ah, I see." For the second time, Yuzuru stopped asking when she thought that she'd gotten enough information.

* * *

Fifty minutes later, the class was done with their task as they returned all the wheelbarrows and shovels to the janitors who had spent the entire time leisurely chit-chatting with their legs crossed on the pathway that wasn't as dirty as the field. This would leave them thirty minutes of free time—or twenty, since they had to walk back to their building and change their clothes, perhaps also wash their face and hands because many of them were covered in grime, sweat, and oil. If they had brought some extra clothes, everyone would probably take a shower at the fitness center or one of the gyms.

"Argh!"

Kazuna was about to throw her rubber gloves into the wheelbarrow that acted as a trash can when a short-haired girl squeaked and fell on her left side, hitting the ground quite violently that it made a sound. People gave the girl a questionable look since no one was close enough to accidentally push her this hard and make her bend in such position. When she tried to move one leg in front of the other, it was made obvious that her feet had bumped against a small clump of dried soil that she failed to notice when she strolled past the area.

As the person closest to the scene, Kazuna immediately went the girl and offer her right hand with a thoughtful smile. "Are you okay? Can you stand—"

"Don't touch me!" Instead of receiving the sympathy given to her, the girl slapped Kazuna's hand away. She grunted as she struggled to stand up by herself, patting her lower back to remove any dust afterwards. The look in her face showed that she didn't care about what she just did, especially not about Kazuna who was stunned in place with lips sealed. She didn't even seem to sense the people who were staring at her; some might wonder why she treated Kazuna that way and some might think of a way to cut through the unpleasant atmosphere between them.

"You should've been ruder than that." Hitoshi who stood not far from them spoke out with a sardonic tone that would send chills down everyone's spine. Over the past three weeks of being in this school, he had never looked this stern before. His face didn't show a single clue that he was about to burst into flame of anger, but there was something off about the way he glared into the person who had disrespected his friend.

Laughing breathily, the girl retorted, "What? She should've worn her gloves. Do you think people aren't scared of her? Who knows she's actually able to read our memories just by touching our—"

"Shut your mouth," Hitoshi raised his voice and the intensity in his eyes. "She was going to wear her gloves, but then you fell for whatever stupid reason that was and she intended to help you. What about 'thank you'? And what made you think that she was planning to read your memories? What's a significant thing that you have in life besides just being a high school student?"

"Wha—why are you defending her so much?! Have you two started dating or something?!" the girl shouted with eyebrows knitted. "Never mind! You two are exactly the same with your freaky quirk! That's why you understand each other!"

"Can you please stop? Are you having that time of the month?" One guy stepped in with a popular question that made a few people chuckle, calming the situation slightly.

There was no answer given back as the girl left the place, not even removing her gloves or waiting for her friends. The only logical reason must be shame. No one in their right minds wanted to be the center of attention for something abysmal like this. Her attitude was awful, but there should be a part of her that understood that everything she did next would push her into the corner. She made a mistake and the best thing she could do to redeem herself was to be silent and own up it. Too bad for her, people didn't seem to care that much about what she was planning to do when they resumed their previous activity.

As soon as the air inside of her chest became lighter, Kazuna walked to Hitoshi and weakly faced him. "Shinsou, you didn't have to do that, but thank you for defending me… again…"

Hitoshi heaved a long sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. "I didn't have to do that? So, you were okay when she did that to you?"

"Not at all… I was very surprised…" Kazuna muttered. "You know what… I don't blame her… I tried to understand her point—"

"You don't," Hitoshi interrupted, face shrouded with irritation. "You should learn to talk back to people. Not always, but there are many cases where you have to tell them off. Don't let people step on you like that."

"I agree!" Out of nowhere, Yuzuru held Kazuna's shoulders from behind and joined the conversation. "Next time this happens to you, just tell them exactly what Shinsou said! 'Who are you to think that I want to read your memories?' Okay?"

Kazuna went quiet for a moment before lifting one corner of her mouth. "Thank you. I'll try."

* * *

Kazuna thought Hitoshi was impartial with the whole "doing something for the department of heroes" since he didn't say a single complaint when cleaning the field, but she was dead wrong.

After having lunch at the cafeteria, she and her group of friends went back to the classroom. They sat closely to each other while discussing about some lighthearted topic like a funny new commercial on TV that was booming on the internet. Roughly five minutes after lunch break started, Kazuna felt thirsty and asked Hitoshi to accompany her to get a drink from the vending machine on their floor. She was okay with anything when the cappuccino brand that she wanted to get was out of stock, but Hitoshi talked her into looking somewhere else. They ended up finding one in the vending machine near the library located on the first floor of the main building.

Just when Kazuna opened the can of her cold drink, one male teacher—who she rarely saw—left the library and approached them to ask if they were from 1-C. She affirmed his suggestion and he told them to take the books from his desk at the teachers' room and bring them to 1-B. They couldn't refuse because there wasn't a polite enough excuse to give. As they walked to the room that wasn't too far from they were, Hitoshi began mumbling about how they weren't supposed to do this while there were kids from 1-B passing through the hall and that he felt like he was being a slave for people who were better than their class.

The only thing Kazuna did was smile because she didn't have the exact same opinion as him, Yuzuru, and perhaps more people than she knew. Previously, she thought that they were told to pull weeds simply because their teacher was worried that they wouldn't do anything productive if left unsupervised. Right now, she thought that the 1-B teacher just happened to see them before anyone else because they were literally standing beside the library's door. If they had stood five meters away, the story would've been different.

"Aren't they heavy?" Hitoshi stared at Kazuna who just took one of the two piles of thick green books from the teacher's table.

Kazuna smiled at the way Hitoshi showed how he cared about her, which wasn't something new. "We're carrying the same amount of books, Shinsou… I'm good—"

A sudden ear-piercing ringing sound almost caused Kazuna to bite her tongue, followed by a warning from the central that the school's security had been breached and that all students must evacuate the school in an orderly manner. She looked around, making sure that everyone in this busy room also heard the same thing as she did. The answer was obvious when the students began running towards the only door available for around twenty people to use, while the teachers appeared to be confused as to what to do. Sentences such as "is this real?" and "let's hurry!" were chanted by almost everyone.

"Ah!" Kazuna squeaked when two guys shoved her sideways to create a way for themselves, resulting some of the books in her hand to fall onto the floor. She blamed herself for standing in the middle of the aisle between the teacher desks. It wasn't their fault if they got terrified and wanted to save themselves as fast as possible.

"Just leave the books!" Hitoshi dropped the stuff he held back onto the table beside him. Kazuna did as what she was told. Before she followed Hitoshi's step into the exit, she checked on what scattered down there. She felt awful for leaving and dirtying them, but they could be taken care of later when the situation had been cleared up. Just like the people who treated her like nothing, there wasn't anything they could do during a time like this.

"Hang on! There's nothing!" One female teacher who held a smartphone in next to her ear announced, gaining the attention of a few people who were still inside and waited for their turn to leave. "Calm down, kids! It's a false alarm! The press in front of the gate did something, but it was nothing serious!"

"What?" one student with long hair confusedly asked. "There's nothing?"

"There's nothing!" the teacher repeated her words.

"…seriously?" Hitoshi rolled his eyes before walking back to the table that was only less than three meters away from where they were stopped. He mumbled a few things about how the brief suspense was good for nothing and for this one subject, Kazuna had to agree.

"My heart almost stopped beating," Kazuna said while kneeling to pick up the books from the floor and stacking them with the rest on the table. "I bet it's a bloodbath there around the cafeteria."

"Hey." Hitoshi's tone went deeper. "Your arm is bleeding."

All at once, Kazuna's brain registered the numb sensation that she'd had for who knew how long. She lifted her right arm and found a long streak of blood running from her wrist, all down to a few centimeters above her elbow pit. It wasn't deep. The blood wasn't overflowing that she'd lose consciousness in a matter of seconds, but she needed something sanitary to clean and block the wound from producing more blood. Some bandages would be the best since they would also protect the skin from bacteria and other objects.

"What did I hit?" Kazuna inspected her surrounding to find a sharp object that had punctured her skin, but couldn't figure it out. She might have gotten the wound when she was looking for a drink, but then Hitoshi would've noticed it earlier.

"When those guys bumped against you, I think you hit your arm against that. It looks sharp." Hitoshi pointed at the corner of the teacher's cubicle right beside Kazuna. "It doesn't matter. Go to the infirmary. I'll ask someone to help me with the books."

"Are you sure…? I won't die, you know…" Kazuna pledged to stay, but Hitoshi's face was all it took for her to turn around and leave, not forgetting to say thank you because his gentleness deserved nothing less than that.

* * *

Thank you for reading! Reviews are greatly appreciated! ❤


	6. Chapter Six

Thank you Neo for proofreading this chapter so fast asdfghjkl. I don't have time to recheck it again, but I trust this sweet human being. Also sorry if the pacing is too fast. ;_;

Happy reading!

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Concealed**

If someone asked Kazuna to describe the state of Yuuei's infirmary right now, she'd say that it was similar to an overpopulated hospital ward after an intense combat during a civil war. It surely was an exaggeration since there wasn't blood splattering all over the place or people losing their limbs in the sickest way, but the sound of meek cries, painful moans, pleas for help, and kids running in different directions should tick most of the criteria.

Kazuna wasn't the only person who thought of seeing Yuuei's famous nurse and professional hero who went by the name "Recovery Girl". She was known for her healing power that could restore a broken body to its previous state within seconds. She was there during the entrance exam, running here and there between buildings to find and help exam takers who accidentally injured themselves. This time, she wasn't around. The only one left was a middle-aged nurse who was wrapping a bandage around the arm of a boy who sat on one of the beds.

Kazuna had no other option but to walk to the nurse. Before she finished her first sentence requesting assistance, she was harshly told to find what she needed in the shelves because her problem wasn't too critical compared to the others. At first, she was startled, but she didn't try to talk back because the nurse was right. In silence she went to the packed corner of the room, trying to get rubbing alcohol, cotton wools, and some plasters. Thankfully, people around her weren't too selfish that they didn't mind helping her find all the items.

"Sorry, can you help me?"

As soon as Kazuna was done mending herself, a girl who sat on the floor beside the nurse's desk called out for her. At first glance, the girl looked like she just got out of a cat fight. Her tie wasn't straight. Her white shirt was slightly crumpled. Her legs were straightened out like some twisted veins prevented her to move. The obvious sign would be her tangled hair that resembled someone who hadn't showered for weeks. She pressed an ice pack against the back of her head, which meant that she had an injury there. With all these, it was impossible for Kazuna to reject her.

"Sure, what's wrong?" Kazuna asked as she threw the wrapping of her plasters onto the garbage bin nearby and made sure that the alcohol she put on top of the nurse's desk wouldn't fall if someone bumped against it. It had a lid so that it wouldn't splash everywhere if it did fall, but she didn't want to risk it.

The girl grabbed her phone from the blazer she kept next to her left thigh and handed it to Kazuna. "Could you take a picture of the bruise on my scalp? It really hurts, so I want to see how bad it is."

"Of course." Kazuna walked and kneeled in the space between the girl's back and the white wall of the infirmary, enough for her to check the problem. From this angle, she couldn't find anything off as the girl's hair was very curly, thick, and long. More than two hands might be needed to wash it throughout.

"My hair is like a jungle, isn't it? You can move it slightly if you need to," the girl suggested, as if she could read through Kazuna's mind by only looking at her.

"Ah… alright. Excuse me…" Kazuna politely obliged as she used her left hand to shove some strands of the black hair sideways to reveal a bald pale red spot. It didn't bleed, nor did it look life-threatening, but it was obvious that someone yanked her hair too hard until some of it got ripped from her scalp. She steadily took a picture without any flash because the lighting from the infirmary's ceiling lamps was good enough. She checked the picture one last time before giving it to the girl.

"I thought it would be worse than this because it hurts so much… Thank you for your help. The nurse will help me soon," the girl said before putting her phone on her lap and pressing the ice pack back onto her scalp.

"What happened to you, if it's okay for me to know…?" Kazuna asked while moving to the girl's side so they could speak properly with their eyes meeting.

"Weren't you around here when the alarm went off? Just like everybody else, I tried to leave the cafeteria and the hall was chaotic. People got hit, kicked, punched. My hair got pulled by someone. At least no one fell and died from being trampled on," the girl explained the horror she had to briefly experience before Kazuna's right arm caught her attention, specifically at the series of brown plasters lining to cover her skin. "Scratches?"

"Uh, yeah…" Kazuna glanced at her treated wound. She wasn't the one that people should worry about. What she had could heal by itself. It was nothing compared to a torn scalp or the casualties surrounding her.

"What happened?" the girl asked the same thing Kazuna did.

"Oh, nothing bad… I was at the library when the alarm went off. Some guys pushed me when they tried to reach for the exit and something sharp pierced me. I didn't know what exactly got me, but my friend assumed it was the corner of the teacher's cubicle…" Kazuna recounted what Hitoshi told her.

"And you're Ito."

It surprised Kazuna since she didn't think that she'd be known by someone outside her class, but she didn't want to come off as rude, so she chose to nod her head. "Yes… and you?"

"I'm Horita Fusako from 1-G, of the support department. Don't be scared, I know your name because you're always going to the cafeteria with this one pretty girl and two tall boys, and the girl always shouts your name. I'm sure I'm not the only one who knows your name because of this."

"Ah, right… They're my classmates." Kazuna understood Fusako's explanation because Yuzuru's loudness could often be heard from a floor below. "Nice to meet you, Horita. Get well soon. Do you, uh… mind if I stay here until you're called by the nurse?"

The girl grinned, most likely projecting her happiness of finding a new friend at the most random place and time. "I don't mind at all."

"I wonder where Recovery Girl is…" It was quick for Kazuna to begin a new topic, looking around like she'd randomly find the person behind a closet or something. "If she were here, things would be done faster…"

"Of course," Fusako agreed. "By the way, why are you wearing gloves?"

Kazuna raised her eyebrows before staring at her right hand, clenching it hard and releasing slowly. She knew she'd be asked this question. Everyone who saw her always turned curious because she was the only person they knew who wore gloves on a daily basis. This was as strange as it could get, but she didn't want to be honest. She couldn't—not after she touched Fusako's head. She didn't want to frighten Fusako. She never wanted to frighten anyone.

"I'm… a bit terrified of germs. I have this condition called mysophobia…" she told Fusako what Yuzuru thought of her the first time they met.

"Oh, really?"

Kazuna smiled broader, attempting her best not to force it. "Really."

* * *

Kazuna didn't expect to see Hitoshi outside the infirmary. His back was against the wall as he quietly read something on his phone, as known as one of the most popular ways to pass time. Even without a pair of horns or bat wings, for her, he always stood out among the crowd. For the most part, it was because of the color and shape of his hair, but also because he always had this languid look in his eyes that people couldn't miss. When he noticed that she was leaving and walking towards him, he immediately put his phone back inside his pocket.

"I didn't know that you'd be waiting for me…" Kazuna expressed her regret. She knew that she didn't have to sound this fearful because Hitoshi wouldn't be pissed over something small like this, but she couldn't help but wish that she'd been out sooner.

Hitoshi shook his head, implying that Kazuna's apologize was unnecessary. "I just got here. Don't feel bad because you didn't do anything wrong. Let me see your arm."

Kazuna stretched out her right arm so Hitoshi could see better. He held her wrist gently, staring at every inch of her skin, even the parts that weren't covered with brown plasters. Once he was done with the thorough inspection, he rotated her hand to check the other side. She was touched by his attentiveness, but she was also questioning his intention. What would he find by examining her like this? One look was enough to determine her perfectly healthy and alive condition. The only way she could feel pain was if she pressed on her wound, which was something that she wouldn't do on purpose.

"Why didn't you ask Recovery Girl to heal you?" Hitoshi asked after almost a full minute, releasing his grip on her.

"She isn't around. There's only this other nurse."

"What did she say?"

"Nothing. She was very busy with other kids, so I had to treat myself," she answered very carefully. She had a feeling that if she told him the truth about the nurse rudely shushing her because other people were far more important, Hitoshi would rush inside the infirmary and let out his rage. There were times when he could be this typical calm and collected guy that wouldn't even bother to kill an ant, but seeing what happened before the break, he would only do so towards a problem that didn't matter at all. Her not getting treated properly was one of them.

"Seriously?" Hitoshi sounded and looked less tense, letting out a very long sigh, like all of his burdens finally decided to leave his life for good. "You were inside for a long time. Not that long, but you get my point. I thought something worse happened."

"No, sorry, I was helping this girl!" Kazuna chose to be honest, squeaking slightly. "This girl… Her name's Fusako and she's from 1-G. When the alarm went off, she left the cafeteria and was stuck in the hall with everyone else. A guy pulled her hair quite hard and she asked me to take a picture of the wound. It was… uh, bad."

Hitoshi squinted. "Well, at least no one broke their legs… but are you sure you're okay?"

Kazuna lifted her thumb, grinning without attempting to fake it as there was nothing to hide from Hitoshi. "I'm perfectly okay."

"Then let's go back." Hitoshi turned towards the direction of the stairs to the second floor. "I didn't get the chance to go back to the class and tell Yuzuru about you. You should tell her yourself."

Kazuna could simply nod or say "alright", but she smiled. She knew Hitoshi actually _had_ the chance and it was impossible for him to not realize it himself. He had to bring books to 1-B and 1-C was located next to it. It'd take him no time to stop by their class and explain everything to Yuzuru, maybe even resting for a moment in his desk. Instead of doing that, he chose to immediately go to the infirmary. He could give her a thousand reasons, but she knew the true one was that he worried about her. This alone was enough to make her feel better after everything that had happened today.

* * *

By the time afternoon came, everyone had heard the news about Yuuei's front gate crumbling to pieces due to it being breached. The staff said that it was a false rumor as the gate was demolished on purpose to replace it with a stronger one, but those who were smarter believed that they were hiding the truth so as not to cause disturbance. What was lingering when everyone left their class was the source of power that could tear down such sturdy layers of metals. If a car tried to crash against it, the car would break instead. An airplane would probably be powerful enough, but it sounded like a scenario from a movie.

As always, Hitoshi went to the parking lot to take his bicycle with Kazuna. It was unusual for her to be stuck on her phone when they walked together like this. Sometimes they would just be quiet until they reached their destination, but most of the time she would start a conversation on anything possible. She wasn't a gossiper who loved to discuss about other people's private business, so she often chose something that started with "what do you think of this?" or "have you heard about what this hero did?". Right now, she was being a little odd.

"What are you reading?" Once they reached the parking lot, Hitoshi couldn't contain his curiosity anymore.

"Oh, sorry, it's about Yamakami Park." Her eyes met Hitoshi's for only a second before going back onto the bright screen she held with one hand. "I've been looking for some good churros and someone sells the stuffed version there. I've been reading the reviews."

"That park by the river?"

"Mhm." She locked her phone, now looking at Hitoshi for real. "I haven't been there. It looks amazing during afternoon like this, so can we maybe… go?"

"Sure, I don't mind." Hitoshi didn't take long to decide. "We don't have to shop for dinner and I've never tried churros before."

Kazuna grinned. "Thank you, Shinsou."

In a matter of seconds, they hopped onto the bicycle and rode outside the school. Some construction workers and teachers were standing at the gate, measuring stuff and loudly discussing about numbers, days, and important things that the students could only be curious about. They looked upset over what was happening, which was understandable since rebuilding a huge gate like this would cost them a lot of time and money. Yuuei had some emergency entrances and it wouldn't be surprising if they would be opened starting from tomorrow until the main one was fixed.

"Back in my town, the school would be cancelled if something like this happened. They loved giving us holidays," Hitoshi said as he cycled through the long road in front of Yuuei. Just like many other cities in Japan, Musutafu didn't have a single lane for bicycles. People stayed on the left side of the road or took the sidewalk if it wasn't too busy, but most chose the first option for one reason; it was guaranteed to be faster. They didn't have to waste time stopping every time they almost hit someone. They didn't have to worry about getting yelled at if they cycled too fast and almost hit someone. They only had to be more cautious about the bigger vehicles.

Yamakami Park was approximately fifteen minutes away by bicycle from Yuuei. It looked like an ordinary park with bright-colored flowers, bushes, and trees growing in it. Black metal benches were put all over the place with people sitting on them while eating food, reading books, and talking to each other or alone in their phone. A blue fence was separating the land from the clean river. Two bridges were built to connect the park to the parking lot that was almost as big as the one from OK Supermarket. Hitoshi parked his bicycle there and continued the trip by foot with Kazuna walking closely beside him.

On the other side of the park, some stands selling different kinds of snacks were open. The middle one painted in yellow was the one specializing in churros. There was a long line of customers from different genders and ages. Two were girls wearing Yuuei's uniform, three were boys from another school in the neighborhood, and the rest were adults. This made it even more intriguing. The taste must've been out of this world for people to be this excited. Hitoshi was sure that some of them had decided to travel from a place quite far from here.

"What do you want to get, Shinsou?" Kazuna provided the first topic to discuss about as they waited for their turn to come.

Hitoshi skimmed through the menu listed on a board hanging on top of the stand. "The portion is huge. We should order only one mixed churros."

"Okay. Is there a flavor that you don't like?"

"I can't stand too much chocolate. It's easy to get sick of it." Hitoshi folded his hands in front of his chest. "You know… What about we bring Yuzuru next time? It's fun to have her around."

All Kazuna did was frown, but it was enough for Hitoshi to notice her misunderstanding. It was fully his fault. He should've phrased his words better.

"That's not what I meant. I should've mentioned Yuuta as well," Hitoshi corrected himself. "I just think that we should spend more time with them outside the school. They seem to be nice people that don't judge us based on the quirk we have. It's always good to try finding friends we can trust."

"I see… but what a coincidence…" Kazuna pointed to the right, specifically to one of the benches alongside the river. "I've been wanting to tell you that I saw the girl that I helped at the infirmary there…"

Hitoshi turned his head towards the direction Kazuna's thumb had guided him. There sat alone a girl with long curly hair, a phone in one hand and a cup of drink in the other. This was truly a coincidence, but a small part of him knew that there was more to it. He couldn't bring himself to put the thought into words, but there was something not quite right—or rather purposive—about this whole situation.

* * *

"You don't need to run like that," Hitoshi warned Kazuna who was a bit too enthusiastic as she jogged towards Fusako with a box of vanilla and chocolate stuffed churros in her hands. He followed her like a responsible adult guarding a little kid at a playground who wanted to try as many rides as possible before the sky turned dark. In this case, the little kid was planning to reconnect with her new acquaintance, hoping that they'd be friends by the end of the day.

"Horita!"

Fusako was startled by Kazuna's voice that was never louder than this, shoulders funnily jumping while lifting her head and widening her eyes. "Ito? What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to try the churros here, then I saw you while I was standing in line," Kazuna happily explained before looking at Hitoshi. "This is my classmate, Shinsou Hitoshi."

"Hi," Hitoshi didn't know what to say beside this one syllable. It was apparent that Fusako wasn't used to holding a conversation with someone of a different gender as her only reply was a sheepish nod and a stifled smile. Her expression towards Kazuna and Hitoshi was like fire and ice.

"Please sit here." Fusako scoot sideways, giving a spot for Kazuna and Hitoshi. The bench was made for two people and their heavy belongings, but it kind of fit the three of them. Hitoshi was understanding enough to place his bag on his laps so the two girls who had their hands occupied could keep theirs on the bench.

Kazuna and Fusako began talking to each other while Hitoshi listened. There wasn't a rule saying that he couldn't join in on their conversation, but he always preferred to listen when someone wasn't specifically speaking to him. The same thing happened between Kazuna and Yuzuru back at school, where he and Yuuta would only reply once or twice when needed. Maybe it had something to do with how girls were usually more talkative than boys because it wasn't like they only ever talked about makeup, dresses, or hot boys from another school.

They learned a few things about Fusako since she wasn't a paranoid person who hid basic information about her life from the people she just met. She was born in this town. Her house was thirty minutes away from here by bus, but it was her dream to get into Yuuei. She chose the department of support because she had an interest in robotics since she was little. She went to Yamakami Park almost every day because this was the only place where she could focus on studying or the novel she just bought. Before meeting her, Hitoshi thought people who read a book in a park only existed in a movie.

"Aren't you going to eat your churros? They are going to go cold," Fusako reminded Kazuna of her neglected snack that hadn't been touched ever since she bought it.

"Oh, right… but hang on, I need to go to the toilet." Kazuna handed the churros to Hitoshi. "Go eat it first if you want to, Shinsou. I'll be back real soon."

"Do you know where the toilet is?" Hitoshi asked. Neither he or Kazuna had been here before and as far as his eyes could see, he didn't spot any buildings that could be a restroom. Since the size of this park was massive, it must've been located quite far from where they were at.

"I know. Don't worry," Kazuna said before heading towards the apartment block that was built on the northeast of the park. Hitoshi could understand her decision of thinking that the restroom would be there. Though he still had to critique the place for not having one in the center of everything because it would be easily accessible.

"She's a very nice girl. Very friendly. Is she always like this in your class?" Fusako started praising Kazuna and since Kazuna wasn't present, her words seemed more genuine in Hitoshi's ears.

"Not at all. She's being more cheerful than usual and it confuses me quite a bit," Hitoshi replied frankly. "I'll take it that she likes you. Didn't you two talk at the infirmary when she was waiting for you to get treated by the nurse?"

Fusako giggled, making her face look younger for some reason. "That's pretty cute if she really thinks that way. I also find it adorable that she's wearing gloves because she's terrified of germs."

"What?" Hitoshi spontaneously reacted, startling Fusako for the second time this afternoon. In a short amount of time given before Fusako became suspicious with the way he acted, thoughts entered his mind like a stream of water.

Why would Kazuna lie about this to Fusako? On the first day of school, she was very nonchalant when she introduced her full name and quirk in front of nineteen other kids. He wasn't wrong when he felt that she wasn't being her usual self; the whole searching about Yamakami Park, asking to buy churros, meeting Fusako in the process, seemingly knowing where the restroom was located—although she could've searched about it when she was reading about the churros, but it'd be very peculiar to do so. She almost seemed to be obsessed with Fusako. The next why question was something that he couldn't logically comprehend.

"What's wrong?" Fusako asked, softer as if she was in fear of hurting someone's feeling.

"No, sorry. I misheard your words." Hitoshi took his eyes off Fusako's, staring at the grass growing on the ground. "But um, did you mention anything about this park to Ito?"

"Huh? No? Why?"

Hitoshi shrugged, putting the churros he held on the gap where Kazuna was supposed to sit. "Nothing, just wondering."

"Are you sure…? I don't know why I'm weirded out now? Is Ito actually not how I think she is?"

"What are you talking about? There's nothing. She's normal," Hitoshi repeated himself. "Is your head okay? Ito told me that a guy pulled your hair and wounded your scalp."

Unlike before, Fusako went into total silence. The sweetness she had on her was gone, leaving only a petrified face and trembling parted lips. She looked the same as people from the past; people who changed from someone who could potentially become his friends into those who didn't want to be nearby. All because the dangerous nature of his quirk.

Hitoshi knew. His heart raced—not with excitement, but with anger and anxiety. He wished he could turn back time and spoke less or shut his mouth entirely. He wished he didn't have to be here to hear the next thing Fusako would say.

"But I never…" Fusako struggled to let the words out of her throat. "…told her that it was a guy."

* * *

I've begun writing the next chapter. Sorry that you need to wait for so long, but I hope you enjoyed it~ 3


	7. Chapter Seven

OMG WHAT IS THIS? A FAST UPDATE? IS THIS REAL?

It is real. I'm so excited. -/-

Thank you Carluwu for staying up and beta-reading this. Wuf wuf.

Happy reading~

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Her Story**

Kazuna was only a few steps outside of the restroom when she realized that Hitoshi was sitting alone. Fusako might've gone to get something for herself, but when the distance between her and the bench got shorter, she noticed the absence of the girl's bag. The uneasiness pounding in her chest made her sprint back as fast as her feet could bring her. She got even more worried when she saw Hitoshi's murky expression, even the way he was looking at her from far was darker than before. She wondered what could've happened in the five minutes she was gone.

"Hey." Greeting Hitoshi, her breathing stayed irregular. "Where's Horita?"

"She had to go back home," Hitoshi answered.

Kazuna frowned. "Really…? What did she say?"

"She was in a hurry," Hitoshi gave a concise reply, blocking any chance of getting another question. "Do you want to go home?"

Kazuna glanced at box of snack that hadn't been touched by Hitoshi. She knew because she remembered the exact shape and position from when she gave it to him. There was a chance of him taking a piece, but she doubted it. It didn't matter. She had to think about whether she wanted to be here longer or go back to the apartment. She hadn't spent thirty minutes here and the trip back and forth already consumed the same amount of time. The weather was as nice as it could get for being outside in a park, so she might want to be here a bit longer.

"Yes, let's just go back," she decided against her thought. Hitoshi didn't speak a word back as he stood, grabbed his backpack, and slung it over his shoulder. She followed suit, only that she repacked her churros with the plastic that came with it and put the whole thing inside of her bag. This would keep them warm. She couldn't do the same if she put it in the bicycle's basket.

They went together to the parking lot without saying anything to each other. Hitoshi was some steps ahead of Kazuna, but she didn't even try to move her legs a bit faster. She kept thinking about the reason why Fusako suddenly left without a specific reason. Hitoshi didn't seem to be the type who would anger someone out of nowhere—at least it never happened during the past few weeks of being with him from morning until dark. Something must've happened between them and if allowed, she wanted to find out what.

She stopped walking when Hitoshi suddenly did it first. He turned around as she raised her head, meeting his deep-colored eyes. He parted his mouth, but closed it right away. He wanted to say something, but he held back. People usually did this because they were either too scared to know the answer or they were too lazy to cause problems that wouldn't exist if they choose to shut up. Her heart raced because her uncertainty was most likely true. There was no way Hitoshi would act this way if a burning question didn't bother his mind.

"Will you be honest with me?" After being quiet for a moment, Hitoshi asked.

"Eh…? Y-yes?" Kazuna almost bit her tongue from the tension rapidly increasing between them. Somehow, "will you be honest with me?" sounded more menacing than a simple "can I ask you something?".

Hitoshi took a long breath, longer than anything Kazuna'd heard before. "Can you tell me why did you lie to Horita about your quirk?"

Adrenaline rushed through Kazuna's veins because she didn't see this question coming, but she remained calm and unruffled. "I guess, I was—I… didn't want to scare her…"

"But why?" Another question came out. "You never lied to anyone about this. I know you're proud of your quirk. You even told everyone that you failed the exam for the department of hero and you didn't mind answering their questions. What makes her different?"

Kazuna was annoyed at the fact that Hitoshi couldn't leave her alone. He was intending to stay here and interrogate her like she'd done a huge mistake. He wasn't going to move on until he got what he wanted to hear. Knowing this, she wished she could run away from here. Perhaps by tomorrow, he would forget about everything. If that wasn't enough, she'd keep her distance until he got tired of it himself.

"Why aren't you answering?" Hitoshi carried on. "How could you know that it was a male student who pulled her hair?"

"What? I never said it was," Kazuna stated. The way she breathed became harder to control, but she could always hide it. Hitoshi wouldn't notice it. He wasn't supposed to notice anything.

"You did. You said 'a guy pulled her hair'."

"I just randomly said it. The words… The words are similar." Kazuna's voice trembled as she changed her excuse. "It could be anyone, Shinsou. Don't read too much into it."

"Is that so?" Hitoshi continued, not even hesitating. "I knew something wasn't right when you wanted to visit this park, moreover when we coincidentally met Horita. How you acted around her was different—we both know you aren't that talkative. Don't say that I'm looking too much into things, because I know I'm not. For me, it feels as if you've been here many times before."

Kazuna couldn't stand looking at Hitoshi any longer. Her eyes drifted down, first to his long legs, then to the pavement they were stepping on. Her palms were on the brink of being drenched, although it wouldn't matter since the fabric covering her hands could absorb the extra dampness. She didn't remember the last time she was put in a tight corner like this. She was always careful. She did things with a great plan backing it. If there was a trophy for a fifteen-year-old who could enter a villain's hideout without being under hysteria, she'd win it.

"Did I make a mistake by telling her about your real quirk?" Hitoshi asked once again. "She was fast on picking things up. Maybe I did make a mistake by asking her if she was the one telling you about this park or when I mentioned about the person pulling her hair or when I was obviously confused when I heard that you lied about your—"

"Please stop…" Kazuna plead, finally letting Hitoshi hear her frail tone. She gritted her teeth and turned around, planning to leave through a different street from where she came. Too bad she didn't have the Yanagi siblings' quirk, because Hitoshi could easily seize her arm, halting her before she could budge even a meter away from here.

"Don't be like this. Talk to—"

"Stay away!" For the first time in her life, she shouted at Hitoshi while pushing him harshly. She glared at him, but it wasn't the kind of full-of-hatred look. It was a warning that he shouldn't stand too close to her.

Kazuna had to admit that Hitoshi's surprised face and speechlessness pained her heart. If this was considered as a fight, then she would take all the blame on herself. A part of her wanted to apologize, but her mind spoke otherwise. She let it control her body by running away. She didn't even look back once to check whether Hitoshi was following her or not. She hoped he didn't.

* * *

Horita Fusako's case was quite common.

She was an only child living with her two parents. She had good grades and her family never faced any financial or other unmanageable problems. They seemed to have a perfectly normal life, but her parents no longer talked to each other since she started school. As she grew up, she caught her mother hanging out with different men, younger and older. One time in middle school, she had a rare opportunity to be alone in the dining room with her father's unlocked phone when he went to the bathroom. She found him sending lecherous messages to the widow who lived two streets away from them.

She always felt alone, but the situation wasn't any better in her school. She never had a problem in communicating with people. When she was in middle school, she managed to be close to four girls, but none of them seemed to understand her struggles. They always talked about themselves, boys, the new shoes they got from their aunt, and countless frivolous things. When she began opening up to them, all they could say was that her parents loved her regardless, maybe what she saw or read was a mistake, or she should care less because she might've imagine her family problem to be worse than what it was.

She didn't want to hear those words. She wanted them to say that her parents were the worst and that they should've treated her better because no kids on earth deserved to be born under such circumstances. She didn't hate her parents because they gave her shelter and everything that came with it, but she wanted her friends to have _some_ empathy.

One time, she couldn't contain her emotions and let everything out at them. Instead of understanding, they left her. They saw her as some sort of wild creature for not being happy. That night, she cried, but she should've known better. Ninety-nine percent of people only cared about themselves. Those who could find those in the one percent were the luckiest ones. She also got unlucky because she met childish kids whose stumbling block only went as much as not having enough pocket money or getting rejected by the guy they had a crush on, but still thought that they had the most miserable life.

She passed her school years by being distant because she'd lost trust in people, especially if they were too young to understand anything. She was one of the few people from her school who got accepted into Yuuei. She deliberately ignored people who congratulated her—she could tell they were just a bunch of hypocrites who tried to win her heart, only to use her as a subject to boast about. "Hey, my friend is attending Yuuei" would make some people proud about themselves, for some reason.

She was kinder in high school. There were only three boys and one girl from her previous school who got into the department of support and none of them ever talked to her. She met new people who seemed nice, but she didn't feel like having a relationship higher than mere classmates. She'd rather spend time reading novels in the park or playing video games in her room. She'd only be involved deep in a conversation if it was needed, like in a group project or something similar.

This was only a small part of Fusako's life that Kazuna learned from reading her memories. This was the reason why Kazuna tried to get to know Fusako, because she hoped to be the kind of friend for her. She felt bad that Fusako was lonely. She wanted to help Fusako. She tried to turn Fusako's high school days into better ones. It didn't matter anymore because her plan had failed with no way back to fix it since she'd traumatized Fusako. Someone with a quirk to erase memory could help, but it wouldn't happen with a snap of her fingers.

As soon as she got back to her apartment, Kazuna took her shoes off and ran to her room, turning on her air conditioner, throwing jumping onto her bed with her uniform on. She lifted both of her arms up, staring at her hands before changing her position to sitting. She aggravatingly removed her gloves and tossed them on the floor. She never enjoyed wearing them. In fact, she was disgusted by them. What was the point of wearing gloves if she could still read people's memories with them on?

* * *

The room was freezing when Kazuna woke up. She realized that she'd forgotten to shelter herself under the warmth of her blanket, but it was because she couldn't even remember the moment she felt drowsy and fell asleep. She looked at the clock hanging on the wall; it was almost seven, which meant that more than three hours had passed since she left Yamakami Park. She rarely had an afterschool nap because she didn't want to be too energetic during the night and mess up with her sleeping schedule. The unfortunate things that had occurred throughout the day must've drained her stamina out.

Slowly and carefully, she got up to sit on the edge of her bed. She felt very wobbly and a bit light-headed, like she was about to faint if she didn't support herself with a hand on the hard mattress. Her stomach rumbled like thunder and she was thankful that no one was here, so she didn't have to go through another round of being humiliated and not having a clue on what to do.

Before doing anything else, she opened her phone to check if there were any personal messages left for her, but there was nothing. She thought Hitoshi would be looking for her because he was a thoughtful person, but she understood if he couldn't easily forgive the way she projected her anger towards him. She decided to go to the bathroom to wash her face before going back to her room and change her clothes into something casual—for her, it was always a pair of short pants and a t-shirt. Nothing screamed comfort more than the feeling of cotton against her skin.

By this time, she would've cooked dinner at Hitoshi's place. She didn't think it would happen today, so she took her wallet from her school bag and put it inside her shoulder bag—her favorite one to use when she went out shopping. There were many affordable restaurants nearby that she hadn't tried, so she was planning on trying one of them. As she prepared to leave her apartment, she began searching the map on her phone for the kind of cuisine she felt like having today. For someone who loved basically everything, this would be quite challenging.

Right when she opened her apartment's door, a rumpling sound startled her. A plastic bag that looked full and heavy was hanging on the handle. She had an instant assumption of what it might be, but she wouldn't know for sure until she opened it. She found a complete set of bento that people could get from almost all convenience stores in the country, a bottle of orange juice, and two boxes of strawberry milk. Her heart was pinched by the fact that the only person who was blessed with a heart big enough to do this was none other than Hitoshi. Besides, which of her other friends lived in this lot?

She made a change to her plan as this was proof that Hitoshi didn't hold even a tiny bit of grudge towards her behavior. She used the elevator to travel one floor below and went to Hitoshi's place. She took a deep breath when she stood in front of the door, preparing herself for a few seconds before knocking. She thought Hitoshi wasn't home when she had to wait longer than usual. She planned on contacting him on LINE and coming back here later, but none could happen when the door was opened, showing Hitoshi with his wet hair down and long fringe covering his eyes. This was a view that she had never seen before. If he had a dark hair color like the majority of people in this country, she wouldn't be able to recognize him.

"Hello…" Kazuna spoke first, clenching her hands. "…I'm sorry."

Hitoshi seemed dumbfounded as it took him quite some time to nod. "It's okay. I understand. Please don't think that I'm angry at you."

Kazuna's face eased up as she beamed like she'd gotten the best news of the month. "Thank you, Shinsou… Also, for the food…"

Hitoshi glanced down at the plastic bag. "Good thing it wasn't stolen."

Kazuna lightly chuckled. "You should've left a message, but I think we have good enough neighbors…"

"I didn't leave any message because I didn't want to bother you. I thought you needed more time to yourself," Hitoshi explained while stepping sideways, creating a way for Kazuna to pass through. "Come in. Let's talk inside."

Kazuna wished she could put how thankful he was because of Hitoshi into words. It was rare to find a teenager that could be this gentle, patient, and understanding. Adults couldn't even act this way, let alone someone who was still developing mentally. If the role had been switched, she would've contacted him, begging him to talk and relax. She wouldn't think that not everyone could cry out when they weren't feeling well about themselves—some people even preferred to stay shut forever. Hitoshi on the other hand, always calculated things thoroughly.

"Let me heat your bento," Hitoshi said when they got into the dining area. The two cats sleeping near the bedroom door only opened their eyes once to check on Kazuna who'd been here a lot. Hachi who was no longer scared of her presence always made her feel very welcomed here.

"Thank you," Kazuna gave her plastic bag to Hitoshi before sitting on one of the dining chairs. She watched him put her bento inside the microwave and set the timer, then keep her drinks inside the refrigerator. He waited for around a minute before taking the bento out with his bare fingers—he could handle it as it wasn't too hot. He placed the bento in front of Kazuna before going back to grab her utensils and fill an empty glass with the cold water from the refrigerator.

"I'm sure you want your drink to be cold, so is this enough?" Hitoshi placed everything he held besides Kazuna's food like he was a private butler. "And forgive me for getting you cheap food."

"No, don't say that… This is good. Thank you again," Kazuna said, unwrapping the plastic covering her chopsticks and dug in. She was starving and she wasn't ashamed to be a little pig when Hitoshi was around.

In quietness, Hitoshi occupied the chair across from Kazuna. He brought one leg up, resting his elbow on top of it while watching her munching. He smiled and she noticed it as she slowed down to act more like a lady, but her awareness made him laugh instead. No matter how she looked at it, he must've seen her as a hungry clown—entertaining because of how silly she projected her hunger, but also a bit creepy at the same time.

"H-hey, why do you style your hair up?" Kazuna picked the most appropriate topic for now, as what she always did. It wouldn't feel so good if the only thing happening for the next five minutes was Hitoshi staring at her eating.

"It's hot. It grows fast and I'm lazy too cut it every month," Hitoshi gave a reasonable answer. "Why do you ask? Do I look better with my hair down?"

Kazuna rapidly shook her head, as if Hitoshi told her that she'd insulted him. "No, you look good either way…"

"Is that so?" Hitoshi brought his leg down and his body forward with two arms overlapping each other on the table. "If it's me, I like it more if you don't wear gloves like… now."

Kazuna stop chewing on her rice as she widened her eyes. She didn't know what to say back to his—perhaps-suggestion, so she chose to continue eating.

"So, I kind of get what's going on between you and Horita, but do you want to talk about it? Or later after you eat?" Hitoshi didn't think twice to reveal the fact that he couldn't let go of the accident at the park, making Kazuna almost choke for the first time. She knew that most likely this wouldn't be the last.

"It's… okay." Kazuna put her chopsticks down, getting ready for this necessary conversation. "I mean, tell me. What did she say about me?"

"She asked about your quirk and I told her, also the part that you couldn't read any memories while wearing gloves. She said you were obviously lying about that and that you must've read hers when you took a picture of her scalp and touched her head, and that was the reason why you were following her to the park. I stopped her from leaving, but all she could say was that she wouldn't tell this to anyone as long as you stayed away from her and kept everything you know to yourself. I tried my best to explain that you aren't the kind of person that would use your quirk for something unjustifiable, but she didn't want to listen. I understand you were trying to befriend her—I won't ask why because I know you won't tell—but she took it the wrong way."

"I need to stay away from her," F/N quoted one of Hitoshi's sentences.

"Do you still want to be near her after she reacted like that?"

Hitoshi's question was like a knife slashing against Kazuna's heart—it struck her hard with the realization of what she'd lost. She wasn't dumb and oblivious. She already knew from the moment everything went down that Fusako would never ever trust her the second time. There was no way for Fusako to even be able to say hi to her normally. She shouldn't be offended if the next time they met in the hallway, Fusako wouldn't even glance at her, treating her like she didn't exist. This was all her doings and she deserved it.

"So, you can still read memories through your gloves. What about hats? Helmets?" Hitoshi continued, not allowing Kazuna to even rest her brain and process everything.

"Yes, as long as I can feel your scalp, I can read your memories…" Kazuna bravely clarified. "That means, I can do it through hats, or towels, but not helmets…"

"Okay. Why are you hiding it?"

Kazuna curled her lips, looking like she was trying to suppress her tears although she didn't actually feel like crying. "Can I… tell you something?"

"I want to know everything."

Kazuna lowered her head, staring at the bento box that was nowhere near empty. "You know I was born in Osaka, but I moved to a middle school in Hiroshima. I actually went to a middle school in Osaka for like… two weeks."

"Why?"

"… because I told everyone that I found out wearing gloves would keep me from reading their memories, but there were many kids from my previous school that went to that middle school. With them, I couldn't start a fresh life. It was the same story all over again. No one wanted to be near me," Kazuna explained. "I begged my parents to transfer me to a school where I wouldn't meet anyone from my hometown. They found a private all-girls boarding school in Hiroshima. It was better there, at least…"

Hitoshi sighed with a pitiful look in his eyes. "I understand, but how bad was it until you had to move school? It seemed to be more extreme than how you just described it."

"Do you have any fears?" Kazuna asked back.

"Any fears?" Hitoshi repeated the question with one raised brow. "Of course. I'm sure everyone does."

"What is it?"

"I'm always scared of being nothing."

"Being… nothing?" Kazuna made sure that she didn't hear it wrong.

"Yes. I'm scared of not living my dream, not working the job I love, stuff like that. Why? What about you?"

Kazuna didn't answer as quick as Hitoshi as her mind wandered off. Usually, when people were faced with this question, they'd answer with height, darkness, insects, confined spaces, meeting new people, traveling somewhere without someone to accompany them, watching horror movies—the list could go on endlessly. What caused anxiety for most people didn't bother her at all. She wasn't even afraid dying. At worst, these things would scare her for a second and then she'd feel alright after taking a deep breath.

But there were a few things that could fill her with dread; people who deemed her as a bad person before they knew anything about her, people who got terrified when their shoulder accidentally brushed against hers, or people who were on guard whenever she was around, just in case she'd touch their head for whatever reason they might think of. Her quirk was the main culprit of why many people didn't want to stand too close to her. She couldn't even remember the last time she was genuinely invited to join a group of friends.

"I'm scared of being exiled…" Kazuna muttered. "…I suppose."

"You mean you're scared of being alone?"

"No, I don't mind being alone."

"I mean, you're scared of being lonely?"

"Yes… Maybe…" She took a deep breath before looking back down. "But I understand why I have to feel lonely. I can't help it and I've come to accept it."

"You mean you _were_ always alone?" Hitoshi slumped back in his chair, emphasizing the past tense. "I don't know if you notice, but we have a similar quirk. I was always alone too. Everybody misunderstood me no matter what I did. I used to only have my parents on my contact list, but now I have you and everyone else. I'm not alone anymore. Definitely not lonely. You're here with me. I don't hate this. Who's Horita even? She's from a different department."

Hitoshi's sweet reply forced Kazuna to smile, even when she didn't feel like doing it since her mood had plummeted since daylight. He wasn't wrong. If the same thing had happened before she got into Yuuei and met some amazing people, she wouldn't have anyone to turn to. Fusako was just a one-time mishap. They wouldn't meet each other because they would never be in the same class. She didn't mean to be rude, but it'd be a slightly different story if Fusako was someone more significant.

"There's the smile," Hitoshi playfully remarked. "Do you feel better now? Go finish your food and you'll be completely fine."

"Yes… Thank you," Kazuna said, holding her chopsticks again. Hitoshi was also here with her, and for her. She didn't hate this either. Definitely, as sad as she could get—she wasn't as lonely as she was before.

* * *

There's still more to her quirk… or not? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)


	8. Chapter Eight

Hi, sorry for a slow update (again haha). I was intending to put this fic on hold cause Shinsou wasn't going to have his arc anytime soon. I was brokenhearted and lost quite a bit of motivation, but oh well... ;)

P.S. Tsukauchi Naomasa is All Might's best friend, just in case you didn't know.

Happy reading!

* * *

 **Chapter 8: A Favor**

Every time Kazuna didn't have anything important to do after school, she'd visit her apartment's fitness center. When other kids felt restless about something, they'd normally shut themselves in their room or go out somewhere to forget about their problems. When it was her, she preferred to tightly wear a pair of hand wraps and gloves, and struck the punching bag in front of her while picturing it as the sole reason on why she was feeling a certain way.

Today was pretty exhausting.

The thing she hated the most after reading someone's memory was pretending to not know anything. Today, she had to act as if she knew nothing about the couples who just broke up and threw off the dynamic of their class, a teacher who was disliked by almost everyone for all the right reasons, a group of people who was being kind to this pitiful girl that had no idea she was being called names in the toilet last week, and so many more. It was a good thing that Fusako didn't have any close friends with sad stories that would make people cry, but she was still a student from another class with secrets that weren't supposed to be revealed to anyone outside of their circle.

Kazuna tried to be positive. At least she didn't meet Fusako when she was out in the cafeteria or hallways. At least through Fusako's eyes, she could list the kind and bad guys from 1-F, so one day when she had to interact with them, she'd be smart enough to choose someone to trust. At least Hitoshi—the only person besides them who knew about this—never brought this topic up. She thought he'd mention it once, but his lips were sealed. He didn't even suggest her to try telling Yuzuru or their teachers. Although not completely, his consideration lightened her heart.

She stopped exercising before five, removed her hand wraps and gloves, and cooled her body down by stretching her arms and legs on the mat. Most tenants who lived here were full-time employees, so the fitness center was often empty until around six or seven after they got back from work. As of now, there were only three other people who'd been running on the treadmill and they'd all been minding their own business. As someone who'd rather be in peace without people asking about kickboxing and messing with her regime, she couldn't wish for a better situation.

She was done in less than ten minutes and went to the bench where she put her tiny black bag. She took out her water bottle and phone, but before she had the chance to open the lid, she was stunned by several missed calls from Jun on her screen. She wrote her phone number on the student form for emergency cases, but she never thought that her homeroom teacher would actually look for her like she was a criminal. If her parents were dying, she'd heard this from her family members, so this must be something else. She became anxious and it got even worse when she noticed that Jun had also left her a message.

 _Please call me back when you're available. Don't tell this to anyone._

Her heartbeat rapidly went up as she pressed on Jun's number. The dial tone added a sense of eeriness and it felt longer than it should've been. She exhaled a long breath when Jun picked up, but she wondered about the background noise. He could still be at school, but it sounded like he was in the middle of a movie premiere. She heard people asking a bunch of questions, camera flashes, and some guy yelling at them to stop. It reminded her of when the reporters broke into Yuuei two days ago.

"Hello," Jun said.

"Good evening, Sensei… What's wrong?"

"Where are you? Are you busy?" His voice got clearer. Supposedly, he was walking away from the crowd.

"At my apartment. I'm not busy."

"Then can we meet?"

Kazuna fell quiet. A teacher wouldn't look for their student if they did nothing wrong, moreover when it was outside of the school period. She began ruminating about the mistakes she could've accidentally done. Did Fusako tell Jun about what happened at the park? Highly unlikely since according to Hitoshi, she'd made a promise to not talk about it in return of them not being near each other.

"Hey, don't worry. There's nothing wrong. I just need to talk to you," Jun explained, correctly guessing the dread Kazuna had. "Is it possible if we meet at the Nikko Hotel near the school? And can you cover yourself nicely? Wear a hat and jacket. Make sure nobody sees you. Can you do that?"

 _Nikko Hotel._ That was where she stayed when she had her Yuuei's entrance exam. She almost wanted to ask why he chose this place, but she knew that Jun would answer with "I'll explain when we meet". With another set of requirements to shield her identity, this matter obviously couldn't be discussed over the phone. The best thing she could do was comply with his request. She didn't need to fear anything since nobody would hurt her there.

"I can do that, but I need to shower first…" she said. "I'll be there in fifteen minutes. Is that good?"

"It's perfect. I'll be waiting at the bakery. Call me if you can't find me, but you will."

"All right."

* * *

The last time Kazuna was in Nikko Hotel, she was one of the many people staying to have their shot in entering Yuuei. This time around, she saw more staff chilling than guests coming in. The first reason must be that the holiday season had ended weeks ago. The next reason must be because this four-star hotel was quite expensive that most people wouldn't stay here unless if they had no other choice. Luckily, she had the money to stay in whichever hotel she wanted, so she chose the closest one.

"I still can't believe Yuuei got attacked by villains!"

She was climbing up the stairs next to the entryway when a woman who shouted at her phone passed by her. She stopped for a moment to look over her shoulder, trying to absorb the last bits of information from the beautiful stranger. _Yuuei really got attacked by villains. It was just on the TV._ She grabbed her phone from her jacket, but found no new messages from anyone. She only had a few names on her contact list and if the news was true, then none of them had heard about it.

The hotel's bakery was quite big and could be seen from any side of the second floor that was mainly filled with restaurants, bars, and anything F&B-related. Through the glass walls, she saw Jun sitting in one corner with a man in a black suit that she had never seen before. As she entered the place, she began thinking if the Yuuei attack—if it was real—had something to do with this. It'd be crazy if they thought she was involved in this, but considering how she had to be incognito and meet them where not even the servers could eavesdrop, this could be it.

"Sensei."

Jun titled his head and smiled. "There you are."

"Yes, hello." She politely bowed down. She examined the guy in front of her teacher for a second. His eyes were big and black, matching the color of his outfit. He seemed nice and approachable. Might be in his late-thirties, but she wouldn't be weirded out if he was still in his late-twenties.

"Please sit." Jun pointed at the empty chair beside him and she sat there, fixing her hat afterwards. She could feel sweat forming on her hands as she was hoping that this wouldn't be as bad as she'd thought so far.

"My name is Tsukauchi Naomasa. I'm a detective, but please don't be afraid," the man kindly introduced himself. "Let's get right to it, shall we? Have you heard about what happened at Yuuei today?"

"Ah…" She clasped her hands that were resting on her lap. "Yes, I overheard it when I entered the hotel… Someone mentioned it…"

"Approximately, two hours ago some villains broke through the USJ—the training facility where 1-A was practicing—and injured some of the students and teachers."

Her first reaction was to shroud her face with misery. She didn't personally know the kids from 1-A, but just like her, they were mere students. As a moral person with a heart, she didn't want anyone to get hurt, especially when it was caused by someone else. She always mourned whenever she read news about murders or the likes of it, so of course she'd feel a greater pain if the same thing were to happen to those who stayed under the same roof as her.

"We captured some of the villains," Naomasa continued. "You're here because I want you to lend your power to us. Can you help us with the investigation?"

Her breath was caught in her throat as her eyes broaden, making them seem like they could pop out of their sockets. She was right that she was here for something related to the attack and Jun was the one behind all of this. Before, it sounded like a wishful thinking. Why would a professional need a fifteen-year-old with zero experience to finish their job? It was more like a dream a little kid had after watching a crime movie.

She glanced at Jun and his expression stayed the same—he didn't meet her gaze and chose to silently watch the table with two cups of half-drunk coffee in it. He must be the one behind all of this, but she understood that right now wasn't the perfect time to ask for a backstory.

"You want me to read the villains' memories?" She looked back at Naomasa. "Is that allowed? Won't it require permission?"

"It's clever that you asked. We should keep this between us because this is a special case. There's only one villain that you need to read and it's because we can't make him speak nor can we gather information from him through the regular methods." He pulled out two pieces of photographs from the inside of his suit and put them on the table. "I know this isn't an easy task, so I won't force you to come with me. Don't do it if you aren't sure. I can accept your decision."

She tightened the grip of her hands as she inspected both pictures—one of a front view and the other a side view. She wasn't particularly terrified as she'd seen some unusual looking people on the streets due to their quirks, but this one villain reminded her of a mutant from an old survival horror video game she used to play as a kid.

He was very muscular, tall, and most definitely two to three times the size of All Might. His brain was exposed and his eyeballs were stuck on it. No ordinary villain was capable enough to breach into Yuuei's security and wound a class with the teachers who were also professional heroes. This scary-looking villain must've had a long history of inexcusable crimes. He must've done something worse to his previous victims for who knew how long.

She couldn't care less about feeling the warmth of an alive brain, but she was anxious about the possibilities of the gruesome memories she could see. It wouldn't be good for her mentally, as she was still a little blue. She wasn't in her best condition yet.

"Are you worried about what you might see? What's the worst thing you've read so far?" Naomasa asked, proving that he was a detective for a reason.

"I will do it," she decided before answering, "Usually I read someone's memories by accident. There hasn't been anything as bad as a villain hurting teenagers like what happened to 1-A. If it's for something righteous, I'll do it."

"All right, I'll come with you," Jun finally spoke as he stood up from the couch. "However, when you can't take it anymore, you must immediately tell me."

She convinced her teacher that she wasn't kidding around by sending him a sharp look. "I promise I will."

* * *

It took approximately twenty minutes for Jun to drive Kazuna to the biggest prison in the city, following Naomasa who led the way. Once getting through the security guards and parking their cars, they went to the main building, as known as the only way to access the other parts of the prison. Naomasa spoke to the three male officers behind the desk to explain the reason why he came back with more people, to which they asked Jun to show his driver's license as an ID. Once they got an okay, Naomasa brought them to a lounge room nearby with no one inside.

"Wear this," Naomasa said after grabbing a disposable black mask from a box on the long side table.

"Thank you…" Kazuna took and wore the mask without demanding for a further explanation. Only a few authorities had the permission to see her face, therefore she couldn't simply appear in front of the inmates or janitors without covering her face.

"And Sensei." Naomasa directed his eyes at Jun. "I'm sorry, but you should wait here."

Jun seemed perturbed by the order, but he quickly nodded. "I understand. I'll leave her in your care."

"I'll be all right," Kazuna stated, her breath foaming inside the mask. Jun smiled at her and just like that, he sat on one of the sofas, while she and Naomasa left the room and went through the back door.

This was her first time being in a prison, but the architecture was unlike what she'd learned from pictures and videos. She always thought that most prisons were built under a single roof to maximize the defense, but this one was fully outdoor. The evening sky and street lamps that hadn't been switched on made it quite dim, but she could still read some writings on the plates; a canteen, minimarket, workshops, and storage. The deeper she got, the more menacing it became as she began seeing an armory, some alphabetical blocks of holding cells and regular cells, and finally, she reached a building called "Max".

It was nothing but an eerie hall with some pale blue doors on both sides of it. She should've been glad that she wasn't alone here and that there was sound made by some officers guarding the area, but she felt uneasy instead. She knew for sure that prisoners nowadays were kept behind a room made from glass windows—during the old times, it was steel bars—so who were the people quietly living inside these cells? If this place was named "Max" in the regards of the maximum level of crime they'd committed, then a fifteen-year-old wasn't supposed to play around here.

She walked past the door at the end of the path and went three levels down via the clanking stairs, where they were held by an officer before they could proceed. The two of them appeared to know each other as he didn't ask why he was here—instead, he opened the door to call his friends and two more came. They discussed about the kid he brought and how her power would help them advance with the investigation. It was everything that she already knew, but unless Naomasa told her otherwise, she wouldn't let her voice be heard.

"Come follow me," one of the officers greeted her with a smile. She smiled back at him—albeit softer—and followed him into the hall, together with Naomasa and the other officer.

The interior was the same as the first floor—and most likely the others—but there were almost twice as many officers. Considering the fact that the stairs ended on this floor, this level must've been the most dangerous one. They stopped at the front of the door number "406" and without even asking whether the newcomer of the group was ready of what lied on the other side, they opened the door with the card brought by the first officer.

She was well-aware that seeing him in a picture would be less nerve-wrecking than in real life, but she didn't expect for a shiver to scrape down her spine like this. He was as huge as she'd predicted, but his eyes weren't closed and the color of his brain was more vibrant. He was breathing and functioning. If something wrong occured, he could be awaking and destroying this building alongside with everything in it. If it weren't the officers taking the first action of coming closer to the villain and Naomasa pushing her, she wouldn't even step on the threshold.

"He can't move. You can say that he's half dead," Naomasa said, standing next to the villain. "His name is Noumu."

"You named him?" Kazuna asked.

"Haha, no. I didn't." He lifted his head to get a clearer look of Noumu's face. "The kids in Yuuei heard that one of the villains called him that way. Ironically, he does have a brain. Maybe he has no memories. Maybe he has but it's blocked. This is why we need you."

She swallowed hard, awkwardly fiddling with her fingers. "Okay… Should I start now?"

"Please take your time."

She slipped her gloves off and clenched them in her left hand, moving closer to Noumu. She raised her other hand and without another contemplation, put it on his brain. She thought she'd get a few things within the first second, but there was nothing. At the very least, she anticipated to see what he did to 1-A through his perspective, not void. It was like she was trying to read the memories of the dead—not like she ever tried—or an object. Naomasa was right with his first assumption. Noumu's brain was active, but it had zero recording of what he'd done.

"What did you see?" Naomasa asked, right after she dragged her hand away.

"Nothing." She gave him a disappointed look. "I'm sorry."

"No, don't be sorry! We already guessed that he has no memories. Thank you for confirming it."

She tugged the corner of her mouth. "You're welcome."

* * *

Outside, the color of the sky hadn't drastically changed. Kazuna waited near the entryway for Naomasa to come out since he needed to talk to some officers. She watched people doing their jobs, some were wearing a ranked uniform and the rest were regular employees who either cooked or cleaned the place. In a few minutes from now, the lights should be on. She actually enjoyed the scenery of a dark alley illuminated by yellow lamps, but since this wasn't a park with flowers and fireflies in summer, she couldn't feel the same way.

"Well, that was fast. I should've told you to go without me."

She looked over her shoulder and found Naomasa stepping out of the building. "No, I didn't have to wait for too long…"

"I lied." He smiled. "I told you to wait because I want to talk to you right now. Privately."

"Eh?"

"Will you be honest with me?"

She went silent for a moment before opening her mouth, "All right?"

"Answer my questions." He brought his legs further to the west, away from the door behind them and nearing the area that was a little secluded from the other buildings. "How many people's memories have you read?"

"Not many…"

"That's not an answer."

"It's, uh, less than ten."

He suddenly halted and turned around, knitting his brows. "How old are you?"

"I'll turn sixteen in August…"

"You'll be sixteen, you've only read less than ten people, and all of them are by accident?"

"Yes… I can't—I don't think anyone would be willing to have their memories read by me…"

"Then I assume you don't really know everything about quirk."

"Correct…"

"How are you going to improve?"

"I'm trying to find a way. I'll find one, eventually…" her volume became lower.

"Like?" He put a hand on his hip. "I don't understand. Please explain what you have in mind."

"I've been thinking about going to a playground and read children's memories… I know I should read adults because they have more problems and I need to strengthen my mentality, but I… I always believe if there's a way, then there's a will…"

"What if I offer you something?" He took a white name card holder from his vest and pulled a piece, handing it to her. "Become my apprentice. From Monday to Friday, somewhere between after you finish school until five. We can negotiate the day, but not the time. We can start tomorrow."

She was shocked to the point that she couldn't even reply. She held the small card and read the letters, hands slightly trembling. His full name and "Detective" printed under it. His email address with a private domain. His office and phone number. Last but not least, the emblem, official website, and address of Musutafu's police department.

This was really happening.

She remembered people who discouraged her from being a professional hero because her quirk would be useful as an investigator instead. She understood their point, but her dream wasn't theirs. She thought she'd be insulted when she faced with the real situation of relying on something she swore she'd never touch, but right now, she felt very understanding instead. Was it because of the way Naomasa nicely approached her? Or was it also because she was hungry to strengthen her ability and to find more about herself?

"You were born special. If I were you, I wouldn't think twice," Naomasa added. "Some tiny villains waste my time so much during an interrogation for not immediately admitting their crimes. I won't let you near the psychopaths until you're older, so don't worry. You do need to write a report about what you read, but that won't be a problem, will it?"

"O-oh, right… Yes, thank you for the offer…" She tucked the card inside of her pants' back pocket. "I might need a few days to think about it…"

"I know, that's why I gave you my name card. My working schedule is a bit messed up, but ring me up anytime. If I can't pick up, I'll call you back," he said. "Don't forget to keep this as a secret from anyone, including your family."

She nodded several times before they both headed back to main building. It'd be hard keeping a straight face after such an unforgettable day, but she had to try her best.

* * *

The ride back was quieter. Much to Kazuna's surprise, Jun didn't inquire of what happened inside the prison. It felt as if he understood it himself that even if he took a part in the plan of using her, he still had no rights to know beyond that. The only thing he said was that she'd be dropped a few lots before the apartment, since it wouldn't be good if her acquaintances saw her leaving a male adult's car—and worse if his identity as a teacher was known. Because of this, the trip felt like an hour instead of a fifth of it.

"I think it's okay if I pull over here…" He decreased his speed and stopped the car in front of a small bookstore. "All right. Stay far from the road—"

"Sensei, do you trust Tsukauchi-san?" For the first time since knowing each other, she interrupted him.

"Tsukauchi? Of course I do. Why else would I let him be in touch with you?" he asked back. "Many people—including me—think that he's the best detective out there. He's honest and we can count on him."

"Oh, is that so…?" she said. "Okay. Thank you for bringing me home, Sensei. Take care on your way back."

"You too. Have a nice evening."

"Likewise." She smiled and left the car, walking towards her apartment without checking on Jun for one last time. When she spotted a garbage can outside of the bookstore, she removed her mask and threw it inside. Jun might not agree with this decision, but the street wasn't cramped and she didn't have any distinctive features that would differ her from the other Japanese girls. It also didn't feel convenient to have something blocking her from breathing.

The fresh air made her a little better, but all she wanted now was to shower and sleep for at least eight hours. She hadn't felt this tired in a long time and she wasn't quite sure if simply resting would be enough to treat her fatigue. She wished she hadn't worked out, but there was no point in complaining about the past. Maybe instead, she should be upset about her inability to read the future.

As she stared at the pathway below, Naomasa's words crept back into her mind. He didn't say for how long he'd have the patience to wait for an answer, but if she were in his shoes, she'd love to hear it before midnight. Twenty-four hours should be the limit, more than that then she'd be regarded as ill-mannered. Since she wasn't allowed to talk about it to anyone, she didn't need to ask for permission. Would it be a yes or no? It was all up to her.

When she got into the elevator and pushed on the floor number eight, she audibly gasped. Her eyes were glued to the number before it. Hitoshi. For a minute there, she'd forgotten about him. Hastily, she reached for her phone and found only a message from him about half an hour ago, asking if she was sleeping. She should've been at his place right after she was done working out—she usually only cleaned herself slightly and took a shower afterwards, since she had to cook and would sweat again. Right now, it was already half past six.

The only thing she did in her room was change her clothes without folding them up because she had no time for that. She dashed back to the elevator while fixing her hair to make it look like she didn't just wear a cap for almost an hour and went to one floor below. She knocked on his door and as soon as she heard a clicking sound, she put on a smile. He looked tired himself, but if he was sleeping, then it wouldn't take this fast for him to open the door.

"Hi, I'm sorry I overslept," she said, going accordingly to what he already assumed. From the entryway, she could hear the sound of TV and she knew that he was watching the news about Yuuei. She _just_ woke up, so she had to act as if she had no clue of what was going on outside.

"I figured," he responded. "Come in."

Like it was her own house, she took her shoes off and went to the living room. She saw the cats cuddling on the floor near the kitchen, but she chose to pay full attention to what was broadcasted on the national channel. They were interviewing the commissioner of this prefectural police headquarters. He explained that most of the villains were captured, but a few of them managed to retreat. Naomasa hadn't told her a great detail about this case, but she thought that it must be the other way around; most of the villains ran away and only a few got captured. Noumu was one of them.

"What is this? Yuuei got attacked by villains?" she asked, just to prove that she was as clueless as everybody else.

"Yes, class 1-A when they were practicing." Hitoshi sat in his favorite place, which was on the middle of the long sofa, directly in line with the TV.

"That's bad… Were there any casualties?"

"The teachers got beaten up pretty bad, but the students are okay. Maybe some minor injuries. I just turned on the TV five minutes ago."

"Oh, I see…"

"Villains nowadays are worse than the old times."

"Yes, I suppose that's true… I hope they're healing fast…" She walked closer and sat next to him. "Have you eaten?"

He glanced at her once before averting his eyes. "No."

She showed him a face that was very similar to a heartbroken girl—unhappy and disappointed at herself. "I'm sorry… are you waiting for me? Next time if I'm not here, you should go eat without me."

"I told you to stop apologizing." He suddenly stood up, back facing her and looking kind of sheepish. "I've gotten used to have dinner with you."

Although he was mumbling, he could still be heard by her. And something tickled her chest as she watched him go to the kitchen. She became a little shy being here with him, but once again as she left the sofa and thought about what to cook, Naomasa came to her mind. _From Monday to Friday, somewhere between after you finish school until five. We can negotiate the day, but not the time._ She stopped Hitoshi from going any further by pulling his sleeve.

"A-anyway, I've been thinking about something," she muttered, gazing back up so the two of them could see each other's face. "Starting from tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, every Monday until Friday, I can't go home with you."

He frowned, confusion and displeasure mixed into one. "Why?"

"Our apartment doesn't have a standing punching bag, so starting from today, I'm going to work out at the school…" For the second time, she told a perfect white lie.

"Does it matter?"

She bobbed her head up and down a lot more than needed. "Of course. I like it better that way because it's sturdier. It resembles real people. There's also a swimming pool…"

"Should I pick you up?" he asked.

"Mhm, you can. I'll text you when I'm done."

"Okay," he said before returning to his way back to the kitchen.

As she walked behind him, she felt very remorseful for lying. She believed he'd keep every secret told by her, but she wanted to wait until it was the right time. As long as they could still spend every afternoon together, what she did shouldn't be a problem.


	9. Chapter Nine

This chapter is shorter than the previous one (because there isn't much to tell :p). If you've read the early access, the ending is different. I'm also removing the chapter titles because I'm running out of words. ;_;

Happy reading!

* * *

 **Chapter Nine**

 _Tsukauchi Naomasa _  
_Good afternoon, where are you now?_ _3:10 PM_

 _Ito Kazuna _  
_3:23 PM Good afternoon_  
 _3:23 PM I'm at Yamakami Park_

 _Tsukauchi Naomasa_ _  
 _Why there?__ _3:23 PM_

 _Ito Kazuna _  
_3:23 PM I'm changing my clothes_  
 _3:24 PM I can't do it at my apartment since there's a high chance of people I know seeing me when I leave_  
 _3:24 PM My classmate lives a floor below_

 _Tsukauchi Naomasa _  
_I see_ _3:24 PM_  
 _Anyway, please use the left gate_ _3:24 PM_  
 _Once you get out of the bus, walk straight and turn right when you see Lotteria. Tell the guards that you're meeting me_ _3:24 PM_  
 _I'll be waiting at the interrogation room_ _3:24 PM_

 _Ito Kazuna _  
_3:24 PM There's a left gate?_

 _Tsukauchi Naomasa _  
_Of course_ _3:24 PM_  
 _We don't carry the prisoners through the main door. Only the visitors and officers use it_ _3:25 PM_

 _Ito Kazuna_ _  
_ _3:25 PM Understood_

 _Tsukauchi Naomasa_ _  
 _If people see you entering the prison, what will you say?__ _3:25 PM_

 _Ito Kazuna_ _  
_ _3:25 PM I'm sending a package to someone_

 _Tsukauchi Naomasa_ _  
 _Who?__ _3:25 PM_

 _Ito Kazuna_ _  
_ _3:25 PM They don't need to know_

 _Tsukauchi Naomasa _  
_Smart girl_ _3:25 PM_  
 _But once you're in the prison, don't give anyone your name and age_ _3:25 PM_  
 _You only know me_ _3:25 PM_

 _Ito Kazuna _  
_3:26 PM Noted_

 _Tsukauchi Naomasa_ _  
 _Good. I'll be waiting for you__ _3:26 PM_

Kazuna locked her phone before staring at her reflection in the mirror. Although nobody really saw her yesterday, she still wanted to be careful by wearing a different jacket and hat, then a white mask as it was the only color she'd purchased when she moved here. Her uniform was kept inside a black backpack that she'd owned since she started middle school with no brand stitched on it. With this, it was guaranteed that she'd be less discernable. As long as she didn't talk, her closest friends could stand next to her and thought of her as a stranger passing by.

Her timing was perfect when she got into the bus stop in front of the park as it could already be seen decreasing its speed from a short distance away. It took her around thirty minutes to arrive at the stop near the prison, which was ten minutes longer than when Jun drove her. She had to walk for only a bit more to find Lotteria at the intersection. She crossed the road with some other people—two of them wore a Yuuei uniform, but she'd never seen their face before—and reached a place that was surrounded by barbed wire fences.

An officer stopped her and she told him Naomasa's message. He went to the station behind them and came back a few seconds later with another officer. The gate was opened and the new officer brought her inside, through the areas that she didn't have the chance to explore yesterday. The first group of people that welcomed her was inmates without handcuffs and guards who were on their way somewhere. They were quite happily chatting each other, proving that the worst crime they'd committed was probably rob a bank so that they weren't punished as bad as the others.

She thought Naomasa would be waiting somewhere near the longue room, but she was led to a two-floor medium-sized building called "The Interrogation Chamber". As she stepped in, the wave of negative emotions when she was near Noumu crawled back in. She kept mulling over the word "chamber" instead of "room" and why would a normal interrogation have its own special place. As most of the citizens out there, she had a common perception of an interrogation room; a dreary room with one-way glass, a dilapidated wooden table, and two cheap chairs. But this place seemed to be more threatening than that.

"There you are." Naomasa who sat on a sofa in the middle of the hallway stood up, heading towards her. "Good afternoon. How was the trip?"

She was confused by the question because it felt as if she just came back from traveling abroad, but she opted to show her gratitude by bowing. "Good afternoon. It was okay. Thank you for asking."

"Thank you for your help." Naomasa smiled at the officer. "Can I also ask for you to bring her bag to my office?"

"Absolutely," the officer said. As soon as she took off her bag and handed it to her, he left the two without unnecessarily prying into their business. He wouldn't know the reason why she was here. She believed that he was simply being professional and it was nice to see.

"Well then." Naomasa breathed a sigh. "Are you ready?"

She faintly nodded. "I am."

"All right." He turned around. "Let's go."

* * *

The main hallway was connected to six shorter hallways with three-seater black waiting chairs, vending machines, and people in suit rushing to and fro with phone or papers in their hands. As Kazuna walked in one of the hallways, she saw two women standing closely near the elevator. One of them had a red face from crying too much—like she had the burden of the entire world on her shoulders—while the other one tried to provide some comfort through sweet words and a hug.

"Don't stare like that," Naomasa scolded her in a joking way, before opening one of the doors in the middle of the hall.

"Ah, sorry…!" she exclaimed, proceeding to follow him inside like how a chick treated its mother.

Since she'd prepared herself for this, she wasn't too nervous facing the real interrogation room with a woman sitting inside that could be seen through the glass. Her head was tucked down and her long brown hair was clouding both sides of her face, as if she tried to squash her embarrassment for being here even if it was just for a bit. Besides her, a young guy in a brown suit stood outside of the window glass, waiting for them. He gave Kazuna a look from the top of her head down to her feet, but she responded by giving a little bow with her head.

"He's my assistant." Naomasa pointed his hand at the guy. "Miura, this is the girl I told you about. She still goes by no name, so don't try to ask."

"Yes, I understand. My name's Miura Arata. Nice to know you," the guy introduced himself and before Kazuna had the chance to do her part, he handed out a piece of A4 paper that he'd been holding even before she was here. "This is the report case. Thank you."

"Report…" She took the paper, feeling lost. "…case?"

"It's the explanation of what's happening to that woman inside. Sure, you can know everything by reading her memories, but I suggest you get the overall picture of you're about to see," Naomasa explained on Arata's behalf.

"That's true…" she muttered as she began reading what was written on the page.

 _Case Number: MS 04/03/0207419_  
 _Date: Saturday, April 3th 2XXX_  
 _Offense: Malicious Wounding_  
 _Reporting Officer: Tamura Ieyoshi_

 _Details of Event  
_ _On Friday, April 1_ _st_ _2XXX at 3:41 a.m., Omura Saori (36) poured boiling water on her mother-in-law, Omura Akiyo (65), as the latter was sleeping alone in her room. Saori immediately left the house by taking the family's car and went missing. At that time, they were home alone. Saori's husband, Omura Daiki (40) was doing an overnight shift as a paramedic at Musutafu Memorial Hospital. Okiya's husband, Omura Shinji, passed away two years ago. Saori and Daiki have no children._

 _Holding the pain, Akiyo went to the neighbor, Tanaka Sara (38), and asked for help. Sara was the one calling 110 at 03:45 and gave the first testimonies. According to her, the family seems quite average. They've never seen fighting in public and although she's never witnessed them spending a family time somewhere together, Saori and Akiyo are often seen doing household chores together like hanging clothes and cleaning the yard._

 _Saori is a librarian at Musutafu Central Library and Akiyo is a homemaker. According to Daiki, Saori doesn't seem to have any complaints about Akiyo or their marriage. They're both happy women with a healthy relationship between each other._

 _Saori was arrested on the same day at 2:20 p.m. at Freshness Burger near her workplace. She was driving all over the town until she gave up and parked the car at her workplace and walked to Freshness Burger to get lunch._

Wasn't this a little too much for someone who just got out middle school two months ago? When Naomasa mentioned "tiny villains", she assumed it was going to be a shop robbery without violence or investment fraud. She didn't think that he'd give her such a complicated case that she wished she wouldn't experience once she started her own family.

"You're good?" Naomasa asked. "Tell me if it's too much."

"No, it's good," she answered. In a way, he stayed true to his words of not letting her read psychopaths. She couldn't use her inexperience to draw back from this training, but she wouldn't have the courage to be near someone who'd mutilated thirty people and bathed in their blood. Cannibalism was also a big no.

"Then we shall start," he said and without having to be told, Arata went into the room, startling Saori as she finally lifted her head.

Arata informed her that they would continue—implying that this had happened before and most likely she didn't want to confess the motive of her wrongdoing. He grabbed a blindfold from the long table at the back of the room and slipped it over her eyes. She seemed to have had enough of this life as she stayed motionless while he did whatever was necessary to her. When explained that the blindfold was part of the procedure, she didn't even question the reason. Her lips were shut tight and her countenance was unexciting.

"Don't let your voice be heard by her. Just walk to her and do your job. No need to wait for anyone's sign," Naomasa remarked before opening the door and inviting Kazuna in.

The room was only around three by three meters, which was smaller than most bathrooms she'd ever been in. It was also very cold as it had its own air conditioner that seemed to be cranked up to the highest setting. She took her gloves off and left them on the empty table in front of Saori. Her usual manner almost let her say "excuse me", but she remembered that she couldn't speak. She placed her hand on Saori's head and all at once, stories after stories flashed before her eyes.

 _"_ _Of course he'd do that. You can't give him what he needs. You can't give him children he wants and your personality is just… you're too insecure and dependent. Just wait for a little bit longer; he'll file for a divorce."_

 _"_ _But he was cheating on you. What kind of woman is willing to stay in a broken marriage?"_

 _"_ _Her marriage was broken when she was younger than you, so she somehow took it on you. I'm your best friend. I have your back. Tell me everything."_

 _"_ _It's our fifth anniversary. Do you still love me?"_

 _"_ _No, my mother wouldn't talk that way. Maybe she was just joking around. You know she likes to do that."_

 _"_ _Without this family, you're nothing. Your parents are poor."_

 _"_ _When will you have children?"_

 _"_ _My son married you because you're available, a bit pretty, and desperate. He felt bad that no one could take care of you."_

 _"_ _I would never leave you."_

 _"_ _Are you sure with this? You'll be stuck with me for the rest of your life, unless if we get divorced like what happened to my parents."_

She yanked her hand to stop herself from reading any further. Tears started forming at the corner of her eyes and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't hide it from the two men glaring at her. Her chest was burning with anger and sadness. It was only a small part of Saori's memories, but it made her feel like they'd become one—she understood Saori's emotions, thoughts, struggles, and so much more. This aftermath often happened whenever she used her quirk on someone, but before Saori, all the problems she read was very childish.

"Please wait for a moment, Omura-san," Naomasa said before stepping out. Both Miura and Kazuna caught the sign as they also left the room—she didn't forget to grab her gloves because she wasn't sure if she'd come in the second time to read Saori. She could finally stop holding back the sniffing sound she made. She really wanted to take her mask off and pour her feelings out, but again, she couldn't. She must take this suffocation like a champion.

"I'm sorry," she muttered after a while. "It was nothing bad. I was just surprised."

"Let me assume… Do you feel like you've known this woman for a long time from her memories?" Naomasa asked.

"Kind of, but I didn't read everything… I stopped after the beginning of her marriage…" she explained, sight falling to the floor as she recalled the things she'd read. "Her mother-in-law dislikes her, probably because she doesn't come from a great family. Her husband's going to brothel all the time and her mother-in-law blames her for it, saying that it's because she can't satisfy him and give him a family he's always dreamed of. Her husband never believes anything she says about his mother. Maybe her mother-in-law is also jealous because she had an awful marriage when she was young herself, and uh… I will write everything in detail on the report…"

"Tsukauchi-san," Arata called his boss. "She's still too young for this, don't you think? Can't we give her a case that's more suitable for her age? There are thieves who don't confess until they're at the court, so can't we give her that?"

Naomasa went soundless for a few seconds before shaking his head, completely ignoring the suggestion. "No. This is perfect. Not too easy, but not too mad. Are you still capable of reading some more?"

"Yes, I am." She wiped the last bits of tears with the back of her hand. "I'm okay. I'll tell you once I can't take it anymore."

Arata sighed. "I'll prepare the laptop. See you at the office."

* * *

In less than fifteen minutes, Kazuna finished writing her report in Naomasa's private office. Some officers walked in and questioned her existence as she'd never been seen here before, but Naomasa always laughed it off without revealing anything. When asked, the only thing she did was smile. Arata also did exactly the same and she wondered on why Naomasa didn't trust him that much to share their secret. She hoped there would come the day when he'd finally learn her name.

Once done, they told her to wait in front of the room from before as they fetched the next people to process. Two male college students were captured because they'd tried to "sell" their own friend to a sex trafficking industry. They couldn't stop accusing each other with stories that didn't match, so they were blindfolded and read. The perpetrator was the guy who talked the most. A quote saying that "it's always the ones with the dirty hands pointing the fingers" seemed to carry weight after all.

The third one was even easier—she thought perhaps Naomasa did it on purpose retain her sanity for the day. It was a twenty-five-year-old male. According to the report case, he was arrested at the town's airport for bringing five kilograms of cocaine. He stated that he didn't know why it was inside of his luggage. She went to read his memories and it wasn't as difficult as Saori—he was a just an ordinary guy from Tokyo who worked here. He went to visit his family over the weekend and got unlucky when someone randomly chose him as their victim. He wasn't lying.

"Ah, please wait…" When she left the interrogation room to write the newest report, she felt a sudden pang in her head and her vision turned hazy. She stopped moving her feet and put some pressure on her right temple with the tip of her fingers, but doing so never helped anyone. Within seconds, the pain became too overbearing that she had to cling onto Naomasa's back.

"Feeling dizzy?" Naomasa held her back with his dominant arm.

"Yes, sorry…" She squinted, attempting to be calm and collected because she knew it'd soon pass. She'd never suffered from a strange headache that attacked her out of nowhere. She'd heard people getting brain freeze from consuming something cold too quickly, but it'd never happened to her either.

"It's the effect of her quirk. Three is her limit for now," Arata speculated. He'd been acting quite uncongenial ever since he met her, but this time he looked kind of worried.

"I think so. Can you still stand on your feet?" Naomasa asked. After she nodded, he helped her walk to his office that was quite far from where they were. As soon as they arrived, she instantly lied down on the sofa with her head on the arm and legs straightened up like she was at her own living room. She felt very frail and ill.

Arata opened a mini fridge at the corner of the room, took a bottle of water, and gave it to her. "I'll get you food and medicine. Please wait."

"Thank you very much…" She lifted her back up and sat on the sofa, opening the lid and chugging down the bottle as she watched Arata excused himself from the room. The freshness of the water helped her little by little, but she needed a long time to fully recover. Just like yesterday, a long sleep would help a lot.

All she heard after was that the report could be done the next day, that they were done for the day, that they were grateful of her help, and that Naomasa would bring her home after she ate. She took a look at the round clock on the wall behind Naomasa's desk. 5:12. He did keep his promise that they'd be done at five, more or less.

"I'm sorry, Tsukauchi-san… Can you please bring me my phone? It's inside of my bag," she plead, closing the bottle and putting it beside her.

Naomasa did what she asked. With a "thank you", she grabbed her phone and went to LINE, tapping on the personal chat between her and Hitoshi. Since they met each other every single day, they barely talked online unless it was necessary. The most common topic written here was that they'd be late for their meetup because of something urgent, and what she was about to write was just adding to it.

 _Ito Kazuna _  
_4:11 PM Shinsou, I think I'll be done in 30-40 minutes_

He must be on his phone because he straightaway read it and wrote back an "okay". And with that, she laid her head back down again.


End file.
